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The gains set up Democrats to potentially flip the utility commission in 2028.
Electricity companies look like one of the biggest losers of the 2026 midterms.
Invest in Tomorrow Coalition says it took out clean energy adversaries in the midterms. Now it’s setting its sights on 2028.
The odds of BAAJA passing likely grew a few degrees worse.
Clean energy stocks are up, unless they’re firm.
The focus on affordability could put the party in a bind.
It’s bad when gas prices are high.
This was close to the consensus explanation for the size and scale of the Democratic victory on Tuesday, with even Donald Trump admitting it in his own way, telling Fox News, “We actually have the greatest economy … but because of the gasoline price, people don’t see it as much as they would have without it.”
In exit polls, 87% of respondents told NBC they were somewhat or very concerned about the price of gas and diesel. Annie Andrews, who had perhaps the most shocking Senate win of the night (at least at the time of publication) in South Carolina, called for suspending state and federal taxes on diesel and gasoline.
At first blush, this may seem awkward for advocates who want more aggressive action on climate change. After all, decarbonization requires moving towards electrified mass transit and personal transportation — not lowering gas prices.
But climate groups were happy to point to high gas prices as an explanation for the Republican humiliation at the polls. “Republicans backed Trump at every turn, blocking cheaper clean energy and supporting a war that drove up gas prices. Tonight, that record cost them,” Climate Power President Lori Lodes said in a statement.
And it wasn’t just gas! Scott Colom, who may yet pull off the most shocking upset when all races are called, ran a viral ad slamming his Republican opponent Cindy Hyde-Smith for her suggestion that, in response to high beef prices, Mississippians should realize there are “so many proteins to choose from.” We’re a long way from the notorious Green New Deal factsheet and its lament that “we aren’t sure that we will be able to fully get rid of, for example, emissions from cows.”
For Democrats and climate advocates, the midterm wave is a clear sign that their approach to energy policy — and politics — has been proven out. “This was the affordability election,” Climate Cabinet Executive Director Caroline Spears said in a press call Wednesday. “Utility bills, electricity prices, gas prices, affordability came up over and over and over on the doors.”
Americans’ outrage over high gas and electricity prices provides the perfect opportunity to pivot to advocating for increased deployment of renewable power, the thinking goes. “These are winning issues, and we proved that big time last night, because simultaneously everything we do to get people cheaper energy, we’re also getting them cleaner energy,” former Washington Governor Jay Inslee said on the Climate Cabinet call. “It’s our responsibility and our advantage to add some discussion of climate when we lead with the discussion of cost in these clean energy systems,” he added.
But some Democratic strategists were more cautious, seeing some of the most notable Democratic victories as vindicating a strategy of being more open to the oil and gas industry.
Adam Jentleson, founder and president of the Searchlight Institute, said in a statement that Democrats benefitted from adopting “heterodox” positions, pointing specifically to James Talarico “embracing the fossil fuel industry as critical to the Texas economy.” Bobby Pulido, another victorious Texas Democrat supported by Searchlight, has defended the oil and gas industry as a major job provider in his South Texas district.
“Voters gave us a mandate to focus on affordability,” Jentleson told me. “There are things we can do that tackle both carbon emissions and affordability, starting with permitting reform. Let’s focus on those priorities.”
While Democrats on the trail spoke little about decarbonizing the electric grid by 2035 or reaching net zero by 2050, all the happy talk in the world about how “cheap is clean and clean is cheap” won’t resolve real conflicts and tradeoffs when it comes to energy and fossil fuels. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, which several analysts say will lower energy costs compared to the baseline, has already split the Democratic Party — with the main line of criticism being that it’s too friendly to fossil fuel projects.
Climate advocates are convinced they can turn dissatisfaction with expensive gasoline into support for non-emitting alternatives powered by renewable energy. Any new Democratic administration would immediately face pressure to not just support renewables deployment, but also to restrict oil and gas exploration and production and the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure, thus potentially raising prices and hurting the domestic industry.n short, “cheap is clean and clean is cheap” isn’t an axiom, but an argument that needs to be won.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew was defeated by ... another wind opponent.
Democrat Zack Mullock unseated Representative Jeff Van Drew, one of offshore wind’s biggest foes, on Tuesday night in the race for New Jersey’s second district. But while Mullock is a fan of renewable energy, he’s still a man of the south Jersey shore — and unlikely to be a champion for turbines off his coast.
District 2 encompasses the entire lower quarter of the state, covering six coastal counties from Atlantic City down to the tip of Cape May and around to the Delaware Bay. The area is a hotbed for offshore wind opposition, where groups like Protect our Coasts NJ have filed legal challenges against almost every wind project proposed in the region.
After heading to Congress in 2019, Van Drew, who was previously a Democrat, switched parties and became a key ally to this movement. He called for a moratorium on offshore wind development, held hearings on offshore wind “industrialization”, and requested that the Government Accountability Office investigate the industry. He also worked with the Trump administration to block projects that were under construction.
During a debate in late October, Mullock accused Van Drew of flip flopping on wind, arguing that the congressman was a staunch supporter of the industry during his decade-long tenure in the New Jersey legislature. Mullock, who is currently serving his second term as mayor of the city of Cape May, summed up his own position by citing a resolution he signed in 2023 calling for a moratorium on surveying and acoustic testing for offshore wind development pending an investigation into a spate of whale deaths. He signed it due to “concerns” about the environment and commercial fishing, he said.
“I believe very much in our future with renewable energy,” he said. “We need to go full steam ahead with solar panels. And yes we should do wind where it is appropriate, where it doesn't hurt our environment and it doesn't hurt our commercial fishing industry.”
Mullock’s campaign website says he supports federal investments in renewable energy and incentives for energy-efficient homes. He also wants “stricter enforcement of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act,” and to fund coastal resiliency and other “smart infrastructure” projects that protect against climate impacts. He also campaigned in support of a data center moratorium.
