Americans are feeling the energy crunch everywhere—at the gas pump, in their utility bills, and in the growing frustration over who is paying the price for political dysfunction and the Trump administration’s choices. But as costs rise and old assumptions about energy fall apart, one reality is becoming impossible to ignore: Clean energy is no longer just the environmental choice; it is increasingly the fastest, cheapest, and most practical way to bring down costs for families. That shift is not only changing the economics of energy but also the politics around it, creating a major opening for leaders willing to champion affordability, accountability, and abundant, U.S.-made clean power.
Bottom line up front
- The politics and economics of American energy have fundamentally changed in the past year. President Trump’s failed energy policies and foreign wars have driven up electricity and fuel prices for families, sparked intense anger among voters, and forfeited the GOP’s long-running political advantages on energy policy. Meanwhile, despite the president’s attacks on wind and solar power, clean energy has emerged as the fastest and cheapest way to increase domestic energy production and bring down costs.
- These dynamics offer Democrats a once-in-a-generation opportunity to seize the mantle of standing for abundant, low-cost domestic energy production. They can do so by adopting a simple formula: Champion affordable clean energy, hold utility and oil companies accountable for high costs, and draw an unmistakable contrast with opponents who blocked the cheapest power sources while bills were skyrocketing.
- Being pro–clean energy is good for family budgets, jobs, and the climate. It is also the most powerful energy frame for winning elections this year.
The big shifts in energy
Over the past year—while the Trump administration slashed pollution protections, seized a foreign country’s oil, launched a war in the Middle East, and sowed near-daily chaos—four big changes have quietly turned the economics and politics of energy upside down. We expect these shifts, more than any others, to drive how energy policy shapes the midterm elections.
Shift 1: Exploding utility bills and swinging gas price are fueling voter frustration
Surging electricity bills, alongside spiking oil and gas prices, have emerged as a major concern for American voters, sparking pain, frustration, and anger.
- With the war in Iran sending gasoline prices above $4 per gallon, voter disapproval of the president’s handling of gasoline prices has now jumped to 66 percent
- Residential electricity prices have jumped more than 25 percent since 2021, rising faster than overall inflation. In the past year, family power bills have climbed more than grocery costs.
- Three-in-four voters say they are “getting screwed” on electricity costs. Two-thirds report their bills have risen in the past six months.
- Voters see AI data centers and utility company profit taking as the biggest drivers of rising electricity costs. There is high demand for accountability on these industries and with oil and gas companies, which remain unpopular and are seen as part of the problem.
Shift 2: Clean energy has emerged as the cheapest and fastest solution
The old assumption that fossil fuels are the affordable, pragmatic choice for increasing supply and lowering costs has been overtaken by market reality. Clean energy is now usually cheaper and faster to build, and it creates more jobs per dollar invested than fossil fuels.
- Despite the Trump administration’s attempts to ban clean energy, the energy transition is continuing to rush forward.
- Renewable energy sources and battery storage accounted for more than 90 percent of new electricity generation capacity added in the United States in 2025.
- In 2026, the United States is expected to add more power to the grid than it ever has before, with 93 percent of it projected to be wind, solar, and battery storage.
- For the second straight year, global investment in clean energy supplies in 2025 not only outpaced fossil fuel investments but extended its lead. Around the world, solar and wind are being installed at five times the rate of all other power sources.
- Clean energy has achieved irreversible and growing dominance in the U.S. economy.
- Clean energy employs 3.5 million Americans,outnumbering oil, gas, and coal workers more than three to one. >
- And for consumers, clean energy is no longer an abstract idea; it’s an accessible and competitive option in the marketplace. Since the start of the Iran war, for example, consumer interest in electric vehicles has jumped as consumers explore ways of holding down costs and protecting themselves from price volatility.
Shift 3: The politics of energy have flipped
For years, the GOP has positioned itself as the party of increased energy production and lower costs. No longer.
- The Trump administration and the Republican Congress spent the past year blocking new American energy sources:passing a law that killed $34.8 billion in clean energy projects, halting offshore wind projects already under construction, and eliminating tax credits that saved families money on energy bills.
- Voters noticed. A recent Politico/Public First poll found that voters now favor Democrats over Republicans when it comes to protecting them from spiking energy costs. It’s a stunning reversal of the GOP’s decades-long advantage on energy costs that is being further eroded by oil price shocks from the Iran war.
Shift 4: Clean energy is proving its political potency
Championing clean energy and holding utility and oil companies accountable are giving candidates a measurable electoral advantage. Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginiaare proof.
- Polling shows that 72 percent of voters support a clean energy policy agenda, with the most popular policy proposal—upgrading the grid and building more storage and transmission capacity—at 82 percent support.
- Focusing in on Pennsylvania swing districts, for example, a Democrat who supports a clean energy agenda holds a 12-point advantage over a Republican who opposes it; a 10-point lift over a generic ballot.
- Even MAGA voters, surveyed by the chief pollster for President Trump’s campaigns, agree with boosting solar production to lower costs.
- The 2025 elections offer a playbook for how to win on energy costs: Channel public frustration, prosecute the cost case relentlessly, and make it clear that the party in power blocked cheaper energy sources while prices were rising.
- In Georgia, a focus on rate increases enabled challengers to oust two Republican incumbents on the state utility commission by double-digit margins.
- In New Jersey, where electricity prices rose above 20 percent year-over-year, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governorship after calling for a freeze on utility rates and for building cheaper, cleaner power.
- And in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger won her governor’s race with the help of a plan to lower energy costs, speed up clean energy projects, and cut emissions.
Driving the contrast home
The seismic shifts we are witnessing in the economics and politics of energy create an unprecedented opportunity for pro–clean energy candidates in the 2026 elections: If candidates drive a clear contrast with their opponents, they can run and win on energy costs. The contrast to emphasize is a simple one: Instead of banning the cheapest power sources while energy prices surge, we should be building more clean energy and bringing costs down.
With gas prices shooting past $4 per gallon and electricity bills still climbing, voters are mad about what they are seeing in Washington. Now is the time to relentlessly prosecute the case for affordable clean energy, stand with consumers against the greed of utility and oil companies, and fight for an affordable, clean, and prosperous future.