Over the years, he gave space for his party to move past hardcore denialism and talk about clean energy policies, even as he himself represented a district dominated by an oil industry struggling in a progressive state.

“Being from California, you get a little taste of everything,” said Nick Loris, vice president of public policy at C3 Solutions. “Obviously, Bakersfield — oil and gas; California also had the fight over keeping Diablo Canyon open and being one of the most progressive states to transition away from fossil fuels.”