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

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Climate Power 

DATE: October 28, 2026

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

In 2024, Trump and Republicans promised to cut energy costs in half. Instead, Trump and Wisconsin Republicans slashed cheaper clean energy, entered a costly war in Iran, and paved the way for rapid data center expansion with no guardrails, all of which 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.

Voters aren’t happy, and they’re set to make their voices heard at the polls on November 3rd.

Trump and Wisconsin Republicans’ policies are costing Wisconsinites

• Over the past year, Wisconsin’s residential electricity prices have increased by 10%, and residential gas prices have increased by 11%, following a nationwide pattern. 
• Every House Republican, including Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden, voted for billions in tax breaks for data centers, to fast-track them past community objections, and even to ban Wisconsin and other states from passing their own guardrails.
• Trump’s Iran War has cost the average family in Wisconsin an extra $823 at the pump. Wisconsin also hit an all-time record for diesel prices, hurting already struggling farms.
  • Tom Tiffany has voted in support of continuing the war five times, and Derrick Van Orden has voted six times to continue the war. 
• Between higher gas prices, utility bills, and tariffs, Trump has cost the average Wisconsin family an extra $2,035 since he took office, and by the end of the year, that total could grow to $3,103.

Energy affordability dominated news cycles 

• Civic Media: Wisconsin’s power struggle: Governor’s race puts energy bills on the ballot
  • Wisconsin voters could face major differences in household energy costs depending on who wins the governor’s race and the energy policies they pursue, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan research firm Greenline Insights. Between 2027 and 2040, it projected a roughly $4,000 gap in average household costs among the agendas of Democratic candidate David Crowley and Republican candidate Tom Tiffany.
• WPR: ‘This may just be the end’: Wisconsin farmers struggle to afford diesel during harvest season
  • Joel Greeno, a current board member and former president of the nonprofit Family Farm Defenders, said that fuel costs will cut into already narrow margins for Wisconsin farmers. “When you’re talking cents a bushel on your corn crop that you hope is profit … for a lot of guys, this may just be the end,” Greeno said. 
  • Randy Romanski, the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said his agency has seen evidence of that financial hardship. “The volume of farmers calling for financial consulting and transition planning to our farm center staff is up this year,” Romanski said. 
• Wisconsin Independent: Higher heating costs expected to hit Wisconsin hard this winter
  • Anderson is a former factory worker who grew up on a small family farm near Tomahawk. She said she gets a little more than $1,500 per month in Social Security benefits. She estimated the total cost to heat up her home using propane in the winter will be about $2,000. Home heating costs are expected to significantly increase this winter due in part to President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, according to a recent winter heating report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.
• WPR: Record high diesel prices likely to drive up cost of groceries, other goods
  • “Diesel is to the economy what electricity is to a home,” Mike Semmann, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association said. “For Wisconsin consumers, it’s not just about what diesel costs, but about how businesses across the state are really trying to work to keep those costs from becoming a burden on Wisconsin families.” He said diesel costs affect every part of the supply chain, and grocery stores pay special attention to diesel prices as part of their overall costs.
• WPR: Wisconsin energy demand to rise 40 percent by 2032, driven by data centers, draft report finds
  • According to the draft report, more than 72 percent of that peak electricity load is “associated with three active data center developments in the service territories of two Wisconsin utilities.”

Rising costs drive votes

• A recent Marquette poll found inflation and cost-of-living is the leading issue for Wisconsin voters this election, with 45% ranking it as their number one issue. 
• In battleground districts, energy costs are two of voters’ top three issues: gas prices (46%) and utilities (37%), behind only groceries (68%), according to new Hart Research polling. Six in 10 voters say Trump is making energy prices worse, and 54% say the same of Republicans in Congress.
• 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 Ohioans pay the price at the pump.
• Derrick Van Orden received a total of $101,533 from Big Oil in this election cycle. Van Orden has received more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry throughout his career, including from Chevron and Energy Transfer. 
• Tom Tiffany has received over $134,000 from the oil and gas industry in his gubernatorial campaign so far, in addition to more than $75,000 from the oil and gas industry throughout his time in Congress and the state legislature. 
• Tiffany also accepted a campaign contribution from the only lobbyist for the Wisconsin Data Center Coalition. 

Available voices for interviews

• Rep. Kalan Haywood, Assistant Minority Leader for the Wisconsin State Assembly
  • Rep. Haywood has served as the representative for Wisconsin’s 16th Assembly District since 2019, where he’s worked to protect the state’s environment and build a greener Wisconsin. Throughout his time in the Capitol, he’s supported legislation to reduce carbon emissions, fund energy innovation, and invest in clean transportation infrastructure. He believes the transition to a clean energy economy should also create cleaner neighborhoods and jobs that support the state’s environment and working families alike.
    • Quote: “In communities across Wisconsin, families are being stretched thin. They are paying more and more for their energy bills and for gas at the pump while pollution goes unchecked. Congressman Tom Tiffany and his Republican allies are to blame, and if elected, they would pose an ongoing threat to our communities and to our climate. That’s why securing a Democratic trifecta is so important in this moment. With a Democratic trifecta, we can finally build a clean energy economy that lowers costs, protects our environment, and even creates jobs.”
• David Pinno, Cost Storyteller from New London, WI

• David is an Independent and has voted for Republicans in the past. He’s not a Trump voter, and he will not be voting for Republicans during this election.
  • Quote: “It goes beyond an electricity rate increase or a big gas bill. It’s the frustration —Rising costs mean I have less money for necessities. I’m barely living. Something’s got to give. Republicans are in support of more oil and gas subsidies, which are causing the cost increases. Why aren’t Republicans trying to lower costs? Why is the PSC not taking affordability into account when approving rate increases? Where is the relief for people like me?  I’ve been looking at candidates who want to do something about lowering costs. The GOP is not doing anything but looking out for their best interests.”
• Currently, David is rationing food and gas and forgoing medication to make ends meet. His SNAP benefits were cut, and he cannot afford to keep much food in the house. He has to drive to find community meals from local food banks and churches. Rising gas prices have limited the amount he can drive to find food assistance.
  • Quote: “If the rate increases weren’t happening, I wouldn’t have so much to worry about. I could budget more money for food.”
• Jay Inslee, Former Governor of Washington State and Co-Founder of the State Power Project
  • Jay Inslee served three terms as Governor of Washington State, where he worked to build a clean energy economy, fight climate change, and improve opportunities for working families. Since leaving the Governor’s Mansion, he has emerged as a leading advocate for energy affordability, with unique insights on how Democrats across the country are running, building policy, and winning the debate on powering our future. Inslee co-founded the State Power Project (SPP), which collaborates with governors, state leaders and other strategic partners to advance policy action for a more affordable and prosperous economy powered with clean energy. He also advises companies, investors, non-profit climate advocates and institutions at the forefront of the clean energy transition.

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. Wisconsinites 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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