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

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Climate Power 

DATE: October 27, 2026

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

In 2024, Trump and Republicans promised to cut energy costs in half. And yet, the cost to power our lives is front and center in North Carolina, from Duke Energy’s proposed rate hikes to Trump’s costly war in Iran to rapid data center expansion with no guardrails.  Additionally, the politicization of disaster aid in North Carolina since Hurricane Helene devastated the mountains continues to be a sore point. GOP candidates like Jennifer Balkcom are “not sure yet” how they will bring down the prices that have been skyrocketing because of Trump policies, while Rep. Greg Murphy thinks North Carolina families should endure “tough times,” meanwhile the Trump administration is lining the pockets of big oil and gas donors. Michael Whatley, the GOP Senate candidate handpicked by Trump, even acknowledges that the war in Iran is hurting one of North Carolina’s biggest sectors, agriculture.

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. This election is about energy prices. Voters aren’t happy, and they’re set to make their voices heard at the polls on November 3rd.

Trump and North Carolina Republican’s policies are costing North Carolina families

• Between higher gas prices, utility bills, and tariffs, Trump’s policies have raised costs for North Carolina families by $1,964 per household through the first half of 2026. For families that buy health care coverage through the ACA marketplace, that total climbs to $3,477. By the end of 2026, those totals could grow to $3,040 and $6,065, respectively. 
• Trump’s tariffs were expected to increase home insurance costs in North Carolina by $103. The National Association of Home Builders estimates a cost increase of $10,900 per home due to tariffs on construction materials, and tariffs were also expected to slow down disaster recovery efforts and make them more expensive.
• Utility costs are on the rise for North Carolinians. Since Trump took office, at least 14 utilities enacted or proposed rate hikes totaling over $3.6 billion, affecting nearly 4.6 million electricity customers and more than 661,000 residential gas customers 
• Far from fulfilling his promise to cut energy costs in half, since Trump took office, household electricity costs in North Carolina have increased by 20%. 
• After Trump attacked Iran, the price of fertilizer skyrocketed 45%, hurting farmers right as planting season was about to begin. Diesel prices in North Carolina spiked by 56%, further hurting farmers.
• By 2035, Trump and Republicans’ clean energy cuts were expected to raise North Carolinians’ annual energy bills by $490, gasoline bills by $228, and wholesale electricity prices by 110%.

Energy affordability dominated news cycles 

• Asheville Citizen-Times: Opinion: Rising energy costs are squeezing small businesses like mine
  • “Our electric bills are up. Spiking fuel and transportation costs throughout the supply chain have pushed food prices up even more. I looked into solar panels to cut our energy costs, but with fewer tax incentives available, due to Trump and Congressional Republicans’ destructive budget bill, I couldn’t make the numbers work. When every major expense rises at once, an independent business runs out of costs it can absorb without cutting jobs, raising prices, or losing what makes it special.”

• ABC13:Rising costs, labor concerns weigh on local farmer ahead of NC-11 election
  • “Beyond the weather, the cost of running a farm continues to be a concern. Barnwell says diesel fuel prices put farmers in a difficult position as they weigh fuel expenses against labor costs. “Five- and six-dollar diesel fuel, it’s either that or labor,” he said.”

• ABC6: Voters take election debates door-to-door ahead of Trump’s Greenville rally in NC
  • “My energy costs are higher now than they’ve ever been,” Mason said. “Anytime you go to fill up at the pump, you see it…you feel it.”

• WRAL: Duke Energy rate hike hearings resume in NC. How much could your power bill increase?
  • “Raleigh resident Brandi McNeill told WRAL her latest monthly electric bill topped $400, compared with roughly $250 to $270 around the same time last year. “That’s groceries for the week. That’s gas for the week,” McNeill said. She said rising electricity costs compete with other expenses for her family, including back-to-school costs and expenses for her children in college.”

Rising costs drive votes

• 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. 
• Climate Power analysis cited in Newsweek saw ad spending on utility and energy affordability grow exponentially this cycle. In North Carolina over $7.7M was spent on ads focused on utility bills, with a majority of them being placed by Democrats. 
• 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

• 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 North Carolina families pay the price at the pump.
• GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley’s record reflects a focus on his donors from Big Oil, utility companies, and other corporate polluters, not the needs of everyday North Carolinians.
  • He has already profited up to $219,000 from his  oil and gas investments that have soared since the Iran War. 
  • Whatley took  $10,000 from Duke Energy’s PAC and he and his family had up to $445,000 invested in the monopoly utility.
  • He has taken thousands from the Chemours chemical plant that poisoned the Cape Fear River with forever chemicals. 

Available voices for interviews

• Lynda, Hurricane Helene survivor and retiree, Hendersonville, NC: After surviving Hurricane Helene’s devastation, Lynda’s utility bills have doubled and her home insurance rates have risen 25%, with an additional increase expected next year. Lynda limits her meals, driving, and utility use to make sure she can pay her mortgage.

Trump promised to cut energy costs in half. Instead, he and congressional Republicans — who passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — gutted clean energy investment and tilted the playing field toward expensive oil and gas, just as demand is exploding due to the proliferation of data centers. North Carolinians are paying the price, and they’ve had enough of politicians enriching themselves as they struggle to afford their energy bills. 

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