Republicans Ran Against Clean Energy – And Lost
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, voters across the country rejected the extreme MAGA Republican agenda and climate denial. The GOP caucus, including Big Oil, Donald Trump, and their followers, desperately tried to paint key investments in clean energy as a political liability — but resoundingly failed at the ballot box. Running on far-right policies and stoking the culture war flames was a political loser for Republicans. Clean energy is a political winner — full stop.
- In New Jersey, Republicans lost after blasting voters with ads stoking anti-wind hysteria, parroting Big Oil talking points, and celebrating canceled offshore wind projects.
- Republicans lost their chance to capture a trifecta in Virginia, where Governor Glenn Youngkin tried to prevent the state from lowering carbon emissions, ran on attacking EVs and clean energy, and where outside groups spent millions of dollars touting Big Oil’s talking points.
- Governor Andy Beshear won his reelection after Republicans attacked him for building Kentucky’s clean energy economy with new battery plants and climate investments.
- From little-seen fossil fuel industry ad campaigns maligning electric vehicles to Donald Trump regurgitating the Big Oil lie that offshore wind is killing whales, voters rejected Republicans’ pro-polluter agenda.
“Last night, voters confirmed what we already know – climate and clean energy are winning issues, and Democrats are the only ones who have a plan,” said Climate Power spokesperson Christina Polizzi. “Republicans continue to deny climate change, back Big Oil and oppose widely popular clean energy legislation that is creating jobs and lowering costs. Their strategy is a losing one, and voters proved that at the ballot box. President Biden’s clean energy plan is making a difference in people’s lives now, and they’ll vote to keep the gains they’ve made in 2024.”
In just over a year since President Biden signed the Democrats’ clean energy plan into law, businesses have announced projects creating more than 210,000 new jobs and $310 billion in investments. A majority of job growth is in GOP districts, and voters are seeing the benefits already. Last night we got a preview of 2024, and the outlook is good for climate and clean energy.