MEMO: Rising energy costs dominated the ballot in 2025—and created a playbook for Democratic candidates in 2026

To: Interested Parties

From: Lori Lodes, Climate Power

Date: November 4, 2025 

Subject: Rising energy costs dominated the ballot in 2025—and created a playbook for Democratic candidates in 2026

Today, Democratic candidates prevailed and won critical elections in New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia and New York City. The winning candidates represented the full ideological spectrum of the Democratic Party but were united by a common theme – addressing the rising cost of living for the American people. In each of these races, Democrats stayed on offense on affordability with skyrocketing utility bills becoming a key campaign issue in New Jersey, Virginia and Georgia. 

Democratic candidates won by hammering Trump and Republicans on rising costs, including their reckless war on clean energy. To win in 2026, candidates should remain on offense on costs and position energy prices, along with issues like health care, at the center of their messaging, making clear that Trump and Republicans are responsible for raising electricity bills by taking affordable, reliable clean energy off the grid. The contrast is clear—Democrats want to bring cheaper energy online faster to drive down costs, while Republicans are taking energy options offline to benefit their billionaire donors and spike costs for everyone else.

How Democratic Candidates Won on Energy Costs in 2025 

Voters in New Jersey, Virginia and Georgia have felt the acute pain of soaring energy prices: 

• New Jersey residents saw a 22.21% increase between July 2024 and 2025. 
• Virginians saw an average 11.25% increase in their utility bills since last year.
• Georgians using the largest utility provider in the state saw their bills increase $518 in each of the last two years. 

Democratic candidates, in each of these states, successfully positioned energy prices as a central pillar of their affordability-focused campaign—outlining a clear path to lower costs while holding Republicans accountable for their harmful agenda that raised them. 

In New Jersey, Rep. Mikie Sherrill made lowering energy prices central to her campaign for governor, pairing an aggressive clean energy plan with relentless attacks on Trump and Republicans for cutting cheaper, faster clean energy. The contrast was clear: While Sherrill’s campaign focused on freezing electricity costs, Ciattarelli and Republicans attacked clean energy projects that would bring more energy to the grid quickly. In a recent Fox News poll on the race, in which Sherrill led with likely voters by 52-45, she had a 10-point lead on energy costs (54-44), up from just 3 points in mid-October. Exit polls in New Jersey found that 59% of voters viewed electricity costs as a major problem and only 12% said no problem at all. 

In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger centered energy affordability in her campaign for governor, combining her own plan to tackle rising energy costs with direct attacks on Trump’s clean energy cuts, while Winsome Earle-Sears parroted Trump’s attacks on clean energy. Spanberger criticized Trump for gutting energy investments in Virginia, raising energy prices through the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” and slashing jobs and critical projects in the state. Meanwhile, Earle-Sears attacked cheaper, reliable, clean energy and said that she supported the president as Trump slashed and threatened jobs in her own state. The Virginia debate also presaged another emerging theme: the exponential increase in energy demand from data centers that makes Republican cuts to our energy supply even more catastrophic for Americans’ utility bills.

In Georgia, for the first time in almost 20 years, two Democratic candidates will hold seats on the Public Service Commission. The Commission regulates utilities and dictates how to meet energy demand. The Democratic candidates, Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson, challenged two Republican incumbents by aggressively highlighting the soaring energy cost crisis under state Republicans—and pledging to increase clean energy. The race garnered national attention as voters expressed frustration toward the Republican-led Commission for hiking rates six separate times in the past two years.

A Winning Playbook for 2026

These outcomes did not happen in a vacuum: electricity rates have risen 11% nationally under Trump, and voters across the country are increasingly citing energy costs as a top concern. The race is on to win the fight over blame, with Republicans like Steve Bannon already pointing to energy costs as a key electoral flashpoint. These electoral results serve as a framework one year ahead of the midterms: As part of the focus on affordability, Democratic candidates can make a clear, coherent, and assertive case that Republicans are driving up energy costs by canceling clean energy projects.

Notably, both Sherrill and Spanberger found success directly tying rising utility costs to Republicans’ clean energy cuts, a valuable blueprint for candidates looking to connect with voters on this issue. Despite the Republican candidate being better known and having come within 4 points of winning the governorship before, Sherrill was able to beat back blatantly false attacks, part of the more than $12 million Republicans spent on ads mentioning energy prices. By centering costs and including energy in the story of an increasingly expensive American life, Democratic candidates can connect with voters and win in 2026. 

Voters just drew a line in the sand: they want lower energy bills and real solutions—not more politics and excuses. Republicans will attempt to course-correct by blaming Democrats for soaring energy costs. However, Republicans’ attacks on clean energy over the last year are indefensible: Trump’s war on clean energy has made energy more expensive, cut more than 158,000 clean energy jobs (nearly half of which are in Republican districts), and jeopardized $24 billion in energy projects and over 338,000 jobs. While Republicans will try to hide from their disqualifying records, a successful 2026 strategy effectively and aggressively holds them accountable. Democrats’ 2026 strategy must make one thing crystal clear: Republicans broke our path to cheaper, faster and clean energy—and voters are paying the price.

The Bottom Line

The 2026 election will be decided along the fault lines of affordability—it is far and away the top issue for voters and one Democrats need to put front and center. Energy costs are a material pain point for voters alongside issues like the cost of health care and groceries, and were a driving force behind the electoral outcomes in New Jersey, Virginia, and Georgia. To win in the midterms, Democratic candidates can proactively and relentlessly make the strong case that Trump and Republicans are raising electricity bills by gutting cheaper, reliable clean energy options. Democrats are fighting for more, less expensive electricity, while Republicans are taking power off the grid and raising costs on American families. It is imperative that campaigns communicate on this issue early, often, and aggressively to show voters that Trump and Republicans are to blame for skyrocketing energy costs and an unmanageable affordability crisis of their own making.