Seven of the original Dirty Dozen candidates were defeated after Earth Day 1970.
The Dirty Dozen was a campaign created by Environmental Action, an organization that grew out of the first Earth Day effort. Rather than endorse particular candidates, activists targeted 12 incumbent members of Congress whom they considered especially hostile to environmental protection. The campaign focused on lawmakers with poor environmental records, narrow previous winning margins, vulnerable district issues, and favorable local organizing conditions.
The result was stronger than many expected: five Republicans and two Democrats lost their seats in November 1970. The first defeated target was George Fallon, chairman of the powerful House Public Works Committee. The campaign helped make environmental voting records a visible political issue.
A common mix-up is confusing the number targeted with the number defeated. Twelve was the size of the original list; seven was the number who lost. The election victories were soon followed by major environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act.