When Progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) introduced her "Green New Deal (GND)" legislative framework to combat climate change, little did she and House Democrats know that the now-scrapped legislative measure would play a role in the 2026 midterm elections, particularly in the Republican congressional primary race to unseat centrist Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D).
If a Republican running in a contested GOP primary election comes out in support of the Green New Deal or any aspect of the controversial climate change initiative, the move will not only be considered dumb but also political suicide.
Enter City of Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer (R), who is running for Congress in Florida's 23rd District to unseat Rep. Moskowitz.
According to public records and a report in The Palm Beach Post, Mayor Singer and the city commission all voted in favor of several 'Green New Deal' style climate change initiatives, and signed up the city to the "Race to Zero" carbon emissions initiative that is supported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the organization credited and cited by name in Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's "Green New Deal" legislation.
The official City of Boca Raton website links to IPCC.
"Boca Raton on Monday set a new target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 15% during the next three years...The city will need to take further steps to meet the goals of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which determined that global emissions must be reduced 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to stay below 1.5 degrees C warming, or 2.7," stated The Palm Beach Post.
Over the years, Singer and the city commission have voted in favor of items and resolutions to pressure Congress to mitigate the effects of climate change, and have reiterated support for the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact.
In 2025, President Donald Trump renamed Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's energy measure "The Green New Scam," and the White House put out detailed points to eliminate funding to every aspect of the progressive climate change initiative in his 2026 budget.
President Trump also referred to the "Green New Scam" as "Perhaps the greatest hoax in history" during an address to European leaders.
Republican candidates running for public office are actively pursuing the endorsement of President Trump, but in order to garner the most coveted of political endorsements, those candidates need to prove to the White House that they are supportive of the President and his overall America First Agenda.
Supporting the 'Green New Deal' or just about any progressive climate change initiatives is a good way of taking yourself out of contention to receive Trump's blessing.
Conservative activist Joe Kaufmann and former State Rep. George Moraitis have also filed to run against Singer. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is also targeting Moskowitz's seat in the 2026 midterm elections.
