MEMO: Energy affordability is driving Texas voters to the polls this election

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Climate Power 

DATE: October 28, 2026

RE: Energy affordability is driving Texas voters to the polls this election

In 2024, Trump and Republicans promised to cut energy costs in half. Instead, Trump slashed cheaper clean energy, entered a costly war in Iran, and paved the way for rapid data center expansion with no guardrails, and Texas Republicans Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton have stood with him every step of the way. All of this has led to skyrocketing gas and utility prices, while worsening air and water quality and slowing economic growth. Over the past year, energy affordability has become a top issue for voters struggling to choose between filling up their gas tanks, heating and cooling their homes, and putting food on the table for their families.

Across Texas, families struggling to pay for electricity and rising gas prices know who has backed Trump’s agenda: Abbott and Paxton. These high costs are driving voters to turn out, and they’re set to make their voices heard at the polls on November 3rd.

Trump and Texas Republicans’ policies are costing Texans

• As of October 2026, Texans have paid an average additional $1,194 in fuel costs since the war began.
• Since Trump took office, household electricity costs in Texas have increased by 9%. Since the Iran War started, gas prices in Texas increased by 44%.
• Between higher gas prices, utility bills, and tariffs, Trump has cost the average Texas family an extra $2,083 since he took office, and by the end of the year, that total could grow to $3,259.

Data centers and rising oil and gas prices dominated news cycles 

• Greg Abbott raked in $9 million from data center-related donors as he called for regulations
  • “Greg Abbott invited data centers into Texas with the richest tax breaks in the country, took millions of dollars in donations from the data center interests, and has spent months lying to Texans about his record to save his political career,” Hinojosa said. “Texans know I’ll fight for them – not the big corporations – and ensure they have a seat at the table to decide if and how data centers come into their communities.”
• Texas officials huddled with tech companies before grid blitz
  • Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been cracking down on data centers for months, but less than a year ago his appointees and staffers were actively trying to bring projects to the state. 
• 91 percent in Texas poll say Iran war raising oil and gas prices
  • The Lone Star State is in the midst of a contentious Senate race, in which Democrats are looking to score a long-sought statewide victory. They are facing a positive electoral environment heading into this year’s midterms as the GOP has been weighed down by issues like the Iran war, increased costs of living and President Trump’s sagging approval numbers.
• San Antonio gas prices near $4 as Texas tracks toward most expensive September on record
  • “I don’t go out anymore. I only go out if I’m going to work or I’m going back home,” driver Erik Garza said. Garza said his commute is about 30 minutes each way and that he now has to account for significantly more money for fuel.
  • Other drivers said they are finding ways to make each trip count. “When I go out, I do everything at the same time and don’t go back and forth in my car,” driver Adriana Badillo said.

Rising costs drive votes

• In the CBS News/YouGov poll, more than 90 percent of Texas voters believe the Iran conflict is raising oil and gas prices.
• In battleground states, 86% of voters say their utility bills are going up, and energy costs are now tied with housing as the second-biggest financial concern facing families. 
• Research found that since January, the share of voters seriously concerned about gas prices has more than doubled, while concern about electricity costs is up 10 points. 58% of voters say congressional Republicans are making energy prices worse, compared to just 22% who say better.

Behind the money

• Ken Paxton’s 2026 Senate campaign has received at least $448,000 from data center-tied donors and over $661,000 from the oil and gas industry .
  • In addition, Elon Musk has now funneled almost $190 million to prop up Paxton. Musk owns the biggest, most air-polluting data centers in America, and has been expanding his AI operation to Texas
• Governor Greg Abbott’s 2026 reelection campaign has raked in $9 million from data center-related donors, including real estate titan Ed Roski, Jr., who donated $1 million; Elon Musk, who donated $5.5 million; and energy executive Rhett Bennett and his company Black Mountain, who together gave $1 million in 2026. 
• Trump has made as much as $21 million from his oil and gas investments since the start of the Iran war, bragging about the money these companies are making as Texans pay the price at the pump.

Available voices for interviews

• Samantha Lott, Community Social Worker, Denton, TX. Samantha is a community social worker and drives to 8 different locations each week for her job. She took a job as a grocery delivery driver for Walmart to help offset rising utility costs, but rising gas prices have forced her to work 50-70 hours each week and to sell plasma to make ends meet. She is reducing needed doctors appointments for a chronic illness to help save money.

Trump promised to cut energy costs in half. Instead, he and Texas Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pull the rug out from under the Texas renewable energy industry, just as demand is exploding due to the proliferation of data centers. Texans are paying the price, and they’ve had enough of politicians enriching themselves as they struggle to afford their energy bills. 

###