In a battle of resumes between Republicans and Democrats in a hotly contested U.S. Senate race, incumbent Cory Gardner trotted out another credential this week.

The embattled Republican from Yuma is a congressional champion on conservation, according to an organization once known as Republicans for Environmental Protection.

The nonprofit rebranded as ConservAmerica in 2012. 

“The Congressional Champion Award is given to lawmakers who demonstrate a commitment to environmental and conservation policies that reflect the values and traditions we share as Americans, including a belief in personal freedom and individual responsibility, free markets and competition, private property rights, a love of the great outdoors, and a desire to enhance and protect our lands and waters now and for future generations,” ConservAmerica president Jeff Kupfer said in a statement.

“Balancing these values requires recognition that a healthy environment and a strong economy are not mutually exclusive, but inextricably linked.”

ConservAmerica lauded Gardner for his work on “conservation and clean energy,” the senator’s office said .

“Every American should want to protect the environment and pass our beautiful country on to the next generation better and cleaner than it was given to us,” Gardner said. “In Colorado we take pride in being responsible stewards of the environment and our state’s abundant and diverse natural resources.”

He is co-chairman of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus, a group of Republican senators who work on environmental issues from the perspective of the right.

Gardner said he was looking forward to working on “innovative, economically viable policies to improve the environment and make sure the American people continue to have the highest quality of life possible.”

As Democrats continue wrestling with a wide field of candidates to take on Gardner next year, the party’s operatives have been quick to call out or question Gardner’s work on issues such as the environment, abortion, and immigration, and which credentials are good enough – in their view, none of them – to offset his relationship to the Trump White House and GOP agenda.

Gardner and Trump have polled very poorly more than a year out from Election Day.

The embattled incumbent’s office pointed out Thursday that in September, he received the Clean Energy Champion award from Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a Republican group. He was named a Champion of Science by The Science Coalition, a non-partisan organization, in February, as well as being named a champion by two trade groups, the American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association, last year.

His office also provided reporters a listed of conservation bills he has authored or co-sponsored.

Conservation Colorado, the state’s largest environmental organization, meanwhile, is running ads against the senator.