You probably noticed the Democrats Much less talk about climate change. But linking clean energy to the House bill proved to be a successful way to win over voters in the US election on Tuesday.
This off-year election was a stress test of Democrats’ broader message of affordability and holding voters accountable for the rising cost of electricity. Although President Donald Trump was not on the ballot, most Democratic and independent voters were Blame the president in general for high prices. And most voters agree State and local officials It helps determine how much they pay for their utility bills.
The results show that by basing climate action in the everyday math of the House energy bill, Democrats may finally find a way to make climate policy seem less abstract — and more like a winning issue.
How nation states tend to play power
In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mickey Sherrill, a Democrat, ran on a promise to fight skyrocketing energy bills. He even vowed to declare a state of emergency and Freeze utility rates on day one In the office and it works. Voters, who saw them Household electricity bills go up Compared to 20 percent this summer 11 percent across the United States Overall — trusted him to deal with the problem. This is what the voters saw in a survey before the election Trust Sherrill to do a better job of controlling energy prices He has a 10-point lead over his opponent, Republican Jack Ciattarelli. On Tuesday, Sherrill defeated her Republican opponent to win 56 percent vote.
Tensions had been building for some time in the Garden State, and Sherrill’s win reflected more than frustration with the bill — the state has also felt the effects of Trump’s cuts to clean energy, which A major wind power project is canceled and delayed In construction of transmission infrastructure.
In Virginia, Democratic Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger also did Affordable energy A tent in his campaign against Republican Winsom Earle-Sears. Virginia’s energy prices haven’t risen as fast as New Jersey’s, but the state faces a different problem: the growth in power-hungry data centers. State House Largest concentration of power-hungry data centers In the world, and 54 new data centers Got the permit in the state this year. The potential for greater energy demand from data centers has already begun Increases generation costs across PJM — the power grid that serves Virginia — and is. Building public resistance. Spanberger seized on that excitement — promising to keep households energy efficient while managing the data boom.
The Trump administration’s efforts to promote renewable energy, boost fossil fuels and get rid of environmental regulations could put affordability in the spotlight in next year’s midterm elections.
But one of the more surprising results on Tuesday was a generally ambiguous one Elections for two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission. Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson defeated two incumbent Republicans on the five-member panel. This oft-overlooked state office that regulates electricity prices in the Peach State has managed to draw more than that 1.5 million voters in an off-year electionA 21 percent turnout, and gains national attention.
“Who sits in that chair is deeply important to how states are navigating these big questions that affect people’s lives,” said Frances Sawyer, founder of Pleiades Strategies, an energy analysis firm. “It’s a huge sign that Georgians are fed up with rate hikes. They’re fed up with high bills and ready for the leadership of a Public Service Commission that navigates the clean energy transition and household financing with deep seriousness.”
Every state has one Public Service Commission whose job it is to regulate utilities, but in 10 states, including Georgia, commissioners are elected rather than appointed. Private power companies are often monopolies, so these commissions scrutinize how much these companies can spend, what they can buy and, importantly, how much of their costs they can pass on to customers. For years, Georgia’s commission has been accused of giving too much leeway to the state’s main power company. In 2023, the commission approved a plan to pass more than that $7 billion in cost overruns to build two nuclear reactors on Georgian customers — a move that raised monthly bills across the state.
“What we’ve seen is that the Public Service Commission has basically rubber-stamped what the power company has planned and then they’re going to pay for it regardless of the proposal,” said Brionte McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters.
So Democrats campaigned and won to curb rising energy costs. Now the big question is, can they pay?
There is no guarantee that they will be able to bring prices back — Energy consumption is driven by everything Aging infrastructure to volatile energy markets — but the wins in Georgia, New Jersey and Virginia share a common theme: Voters are demanding action on the power bill.
And those victories, McCorkle said, show that a commitment to solving energy prices and promoting clean energy can be a winning combination, even in an off-year election for a coveted state office if the message connects.
This cycle in the primary election for commissioners in Georgia, there was a county in which Only eight people came to vote. But advocates like McCorkle started a statewide campaign to connect the dots between the commission and affordability and rally votes. “There was a lot of organic content that popped up as people started to understand and had that light bulb moment where they said, ‘Oh wow, these people matter because they’re the ones making the decisions about my power bill and I can vote in this race,'” McCorkle said.
Energy prices aren’t likely to drop anytime soon, and the Trump administration’s efforts to boost renewables, fossil fuels, and Get rid of environmental regulations Perhaps next year’s midterm elections will put affordability in the spotlight.
For Democrats, concerns over rising electricity bills may become their best argument for their agenda to promote clean energy and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
