Muskego, WI — Wisconsin Secretary of State candidate Pete Karas is criticizing both elected Republicans and Democrats for what he calls a long-standing failure to confront climate change despite decades of political control and opportunity.

"The two-party system has had years — really, decades — to take meaningful action on climate change, and it simply hasn't happened," Karas said. "Elected Republicans have minimized the problem or treated it as an economic inconvenience, while elected Democrats acknowledge the threat but move too slowly and compromise away the scale of action that's needed."

Pete Karas for Secretary of State
https://petekaras.com/

For Immediate Release
February 24, 2026

Contact:
[email protected], 262-498-5021

Karas pointed to public opinion as further evidence that elected political leaders are out of step with voters.

"Roughly three-quarters of Americans believe climate change is a real threat," Karas said. "The public understands the stakes, but the two-party system continues to produce delay, half-measures, and political calculation instead of decisive action."

Karas also criticized what he sees as an overreliance on electric vehicles in Democratic climate messaging.

"Electric vehicles can help, but they are not a real, stand-alone solution," Karas said. "Swapping gas cars for electric ones doesn't address car dependence, sprawl, resource extraction, or an energy grid that still relies heavily on fossil fuels. Climate policy has to be broader and more serious than promoting a single technology."

Karas said the current political debate reflects a deeper systemic failure.

"One party downplays the crisis. The other markets partial fixes as transformational," he said. "But both parties have held power, both have had the chance to lead, and neither has delivered the level of action this moment demands."

Karas called for a more direct approach focused on large-scale clean energy investment, infrastructure changes, and honest timelines for reducing fossil fuel dependence.

"Voters are frustrated because they've heard the same promises for years," Karas said. "The climate doesn't care about party talking points. And after decades of inaction, it's clear the two-party system is not built to solve a crisis like this."

"This is yet another symptom of a broken two-party system and why voting third-party and giving the voters more choices at the polls is imperative," said Karas.