Climate change may not be at the forefront for voters still recovering from a faltering economy, but Republican candidates aren't taking any chances, opting to straddle the line rather than openly deny that humans are affecting the environment.

In one example, Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst said recently, "I don't know the science behind climate change. ... I can't say one way or another what is the direct impact from whether it's man-made or not."

Before the comment, she made sure to note her own green-friendly practices, the Associated Press reported.

"I drive a hybrid car, and my family recycles everything."

While just 25 percent of tea party supporters subscribe to the theory of global warming, 67 percent of the country believes that the climate is changing, according to Pew Research data. Republicans not taking a definite stance on the climate change issue are likely hoping not to alienate either group.

"I am not a scientist" seems to have become the mantra of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other GOP members.

"All I can tell you is that country after country after country, given a choice between pursuing this goal (of curbing carbon emissions) and their own economic growth, are choosing economic growth," McConnell recently told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

On the other hand, Republicans are probably leery of openly saying climate change is real after what happened to Bob Inglis of South Carolina in 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek noted. Representing the Palmetto State's 4th congressional district for six terms, Inglis was ousted when his Tea Party challenger jumped on the congressman's "heresy" of believing in climate change.

"A lot of people on Capitol Hill are down in their foxholes" for environmental issues, Inglis said. "They're afraid of getting their heads blown off if they head up the hill."

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