John Hanger picked up a victory today – albeit online.

The Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania held a poll on its website asking visitors to vote on which Democratic candidate for governor they believe will best protect the environment. Voters had eighteen days to choose a candidate.

Hanger, a former Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, won with 50.2% of the vote. Allyson Schwartz came in second with 21.7% and Katie McGinty, herself a former DEP Secretary, finished third with 20.8%.

“I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me in the Conservation Voters’ poll,” said Hanger in a statement. “I am gratified that the voters appreciate my specific plans to restore and protect the environment, double renewable energy, insist on world-class drilling standards, clean up the Susquehanna River, and fight climate change.”

The campaign also noted that they won another online poll last July among Facebook fans of the website Keystone Politics.

Of course, online polls are not scientific and should be taken with a gigantic grain of salt. That said, the results demonstrate that Hanger has a mobilized base of supporters – always a positive at this early stage. Conservation Voters did not say how many people participated in the poll.

Other Democratic candidates for Governor include State Treasurer Rob McCord, Allentown Mayor Allen Pawlowski, and former Secretary of the Department of Revenue Tom Wolf.