The FFRF Action Fund is joining forces with the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Victory Fund.
The partnership to help grow a pro-science, pro-secular majority in the Pennsylvania state House and make the first viable push in decades to flip the state Senate in this November’s general election reflects a shared commitment to upholding both the separation of state and church as well as science- and evidence-based policy.
Every seat in the Pennsylvania state House (203) and half the state Senate (25) are on the ballot this November, alongside the governor’s race — contests that could shift the balance of power in Harrisburg for the first time in decades. Democrats currently hold a slim 102–101 House majority, enough to block anti-environment and anti-secular legislation but not enough to advance transformational policy. The CVPA Victory Fund’s goal is to grow that majority by at least four seats while making the first serious run in a generation at flipping the state Senate, where entrenched obstruction has already forced Pennsylvania’s exit from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and stalled meaningful progress on affordability and clean energy.
“Climate change is a state/church issue,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, president of the FFRF Action Fund. “When politicians are allowed to substitute religious belief for science, we all pay the price — especially future generations. The same forces that want to rewrite the First Amendment are also trying to erase climate protections and dismantle secular governance. That’s why we’re proud to support Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania’s efforts to build a pro-science, pro-secular Legislature in the Keystone State.”
Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Victory Fund, an affiliate of the League of Conservation Voters, is running a robust field, digital and mail program targeting key state House and Senate districts. The FFRF Action Fund, the advocacy arm of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, is providing a $25,000 501(c)(4) investment to support that independent expenditure program.
This campaign will pay special attention to the Lehigh Valley, where the conservation group is building long-term infrastructure. The CVPA Victory Fund’s canvassing will reach House District 137 in the Lehigh Valley as part of a broader GOTV push, a region key to laying the groundwork for 2026 gubernatorial, state legislative and congressional elections. The region also includes Pennsylvania’s 7th District, which flipped to GOP control in 2024 after a narrow loss by Congressional Freethought Caucus member Rep. Susan Wild.
Beyond the Lehigh Valley, the CVPA Victory Fund’s program is targeting Senate District 6 in Bucks County, a Tier 1 flip opportunity, along with House District 144, the state’s most closely contested “protect” seat, where the incumbent has never won by more than 1,000 votes. In Chester County, the group is investing in House District 160, a seat it has worked to flip since 2020, currently held by a former corporate utility lawyer.
“Our democracy and our environment both rely on leaders who follow facts and the law — not political or religious agendas,” says Molly Parzen, executive director of Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania. “With support from the FFRF Action Fund, we’re making sure voters in the Lehigh Valley and across the commonwealth know how much is at stake in this year’s state House and Senate elections.”
This collaboration reinforces a fundamental truth: Climate denial is often driven by a religious worldview that dismisses science and justifies inaction. State legislative elections matter because state lawmakers are often the last line of defense — or the greatest obstacle — for policies that ignore climate science, undermine civil liberties, and erode secular democracy.
The FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations, and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues. FFRF Action Fund is the advocacy arm of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a state/church watchdog with over 40,000 nonreligious members and several chapters nationwide, including more than 1,300 members and a chapter in Pennsylvania.
Conservation Voters of PA is the people-powered statewide political voice for the environment. We elect leaders who champion our environment, we promote racially and economically just environmental policy, we educate Pennsylvanians about key issues, and we hold our elected officials accountable.