The EV Politics Project is a project of the American EV Jobs Alliance that claims to promote the development of electric vehicles and the industry. 1 2
The project claims to be operated by Republican political strategists, although its founder, Mike Murphy, endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, while the executive director, Joe Sacks, has previously worked as a Democratic campaign consultant as well as a staffer within the administration of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo (D), until Raimondo became Secretary of Commerce in the Biden administration in 2021. 3 4 5 6
History
The EV Politics Project was founded in 2023 as a lobbying group and project of pro-electric vehicle organization American EV Jobs Alliance, while it formally began operations in 2024. The project began running pro-EV advocacy ads in states including Michigan by claiming the electric vehicle industry and production of EV vehicles would lead to new jobs being created in said states. 7 8 9
Finances
As of September 2024, the EV Politics Project has not made financial filings publicly available. The project ha claimed it is funded by individual donations, companies, and trade associations that are in favor of advocating electric vehicles. 10
Activities
The EV Politics Project claims to advocate for pro-electric vehicle policies and their development. The group has also claimed it conducts polling to find that electric vehicle usage more unfavorability amongst those who register Republicans compared to those who register as Democrat. 11 12
The group claims to not endorse political candidates or campaigns, however it has run advocacy ads in key battleground states during election years by promoting advantages of electric vehicles in growing new jobs within the auto industry as well as improving auto development technology. 13
Chief executive officer Mike Murphy has claimed that a risk of either political party not supporting the adoption of pro-electric vehicle policies within the United States is that potential jobs and technological growth would instead be relocated to international markets including China. 14
The group’s website claims that it is run by a team of Republican-leaning political consultants. However, Murphy previously endorsed President Joe Biden‘s campaign during the 2020 presidential election. In addition, group executive director Joe Sacks previously worked on the campaign for Governor Gina Raimondo (D) during the 2018 Rhode Island gubernatorial race and would later work as a staffer within her administration before joing the Biden administration as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. 15
Projects and Initiatives
Through its parent organization, the EV Jobs Alliance, the EV Politics Project has produced and distributed political ads denouncing criticism of electric vehicles as well as the campaigns of those that have adopted anti-EV stances in election battleground states such as Michigan. 16 17
In addition, the project claims to offer briefings for journalists and industrialists about the projections for electric vehicles and potential benefits for the auto industry and the economy. 18
In September 2024, the project launched a podcast, Directly Current, that claims to discuss the politics of electric vehicles and the state of the industry. 19
Leadership
Mike Murphy is the CEO of EV Politics Project. He has previously worked as a political consultant for Republican-leaning campaigns including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), former Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA). In addition, Murphy endorsed President Joe Biden‘s campaign during the 2020 presidential election. 20 21 Murphy is also the co-host of podcast Hacks on Tap with Democratic political strategist David Axelrod. 22
Joe Sacks is the Executive Director of the EV Politics Project. He has previously worked as political consultant, serving as the deputy political director of Governor Gina Raimondo’s campaign during the 2018 Rhode Island gubernatorial campaign before working for her administration as the director of public engagement. In 2021, Raimondo joined the Biden administration to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. 23 24
References
- “Home.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- “Home.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- Lizza, Ryan. “The ‘Wall of Lava’ Approaching Kamala Harris’ Campaign.” POLITICO, September 13, 2024. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/13/the-wall-of-lava-approaching-kamala-harris-campaign-00179040.
- “Joseph Sacks.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-sacks-33454061/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- George, Patrick. “Trump Is Targeting EVs. This Swing State Ad Is Pushing Back.” InsideEVs. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://insideevs.com/news/731694/ev-politics-jobs-for-america/.
- Pierce, Bill. “New Ad Campaign Says Electric Vehicles Mean Good American Jobs.” EVinfo.net, August 29, 2024. https://evinfo.net/2024/08/new-ad-campaign-says-electric-vehicles-mean-good-american-jobs/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- “Home.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/
- “Both Presidential Candidates Are Missing the Mark on EVs.” The Detroit News. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2024/09/12/murphy-both-presidential-candidates-are-missing-the-mark-on-evs/75172327007/
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/
- George, Patrick. “Trump Is Targeting EVs. This Swing State Ad Is Pushing Back.” InsideEVs. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://insideevs.com/news/731694/ev-politics-jobs-for-america/.
- Pierce, Bill. “New Ad Campaign Says Electric Vehicles Mean Good American Jobs.” EVinfo.net, August 29, 2024. https://evinfo.net/2024/08/new-ad-campaign-says-electric-vehicles-mean-good-american-jobs/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- “Directly Current Archives.” Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/news/category/directly-current/.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- Lizza, Ryan. “The ‘Wall of Lava’ Approaching Kamala Harris’ Campaign.” POLITICO, September 13, 2024. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/13/the-wall-of-lava-approaching-kamala-harris-campaign-00179040.
- Lizza, Ryan. “The ‘Wall of Lava’ Approaching Kamala Harris’ Campaign.” POLITICO, September 13, 2024. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/13/the-wall-of-lava-approaching-kamala-harris-campaign-00179040.
- “About Us.” EV Politics Project. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.evpolitics.org/about-us/.
- “Joseph Sacks.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-sacks-33454061/.