How new Virginia, New Jersey governors will deal with energy
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios
Now that they've won the Virginia and New Jersey governor's races, Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill will seek to fulfill their frequent promises on keeping down electricity costs.
Why it matters: In both states, home energy prices were a top worry for voters — and that's likely to continue in 2026's races elsewhere.
- "We suspect the performances of Sherrill and Spanberger could play into broader [Democratic] party thinking about economic policy," ClearView Energy Partners said in a pre-election note.
- Virginia, in particular, is seen as a bellwether of how hot-button political issues will play out nationally.
Driving the news: Spanberger's "Affordable Virginia" plan detailed how she wants to lower energy costs.
- Her ideas in her race against GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears included cutting construction red tape and making sure data centers cover their power costs.
- The Old Dominion is the world's data center capital, with hundreds clustered outside Washington, D.C., and — increasingly — around Richmond.
- To bolster the reliability of renewables, Spanberger also called for building rooftop solar and other small solar projects together with battery storage systems.
In New Jersey, Sherrill vowed on her first day in office to declare a "state of emergency on utility costs," freezing utility rates and building out cheaper and cleaner power generation, including solar and battery storage.
- And she promised to "immediately develop plans for new nuclear capacity" in southwest New Jersey's Salem County.
- "I'll sit down with neighboring states to harness economies of scale to build new reactors in our region at a low cost," she said.
- She joined other officials in other states who are angry at PJM Interconnection, the country's largest electricity grid operator. She accused PJM of "mismanagement" and giving preference to coal and oil.
Zoom out: Nationally, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll last month found that electricity bills were a "major" source of stress for 36% of those surveyed.
The other side: Republicans — including President Trump — argued that relying on renewables would cause prices to spike even higher.
- Trump issued Truth Social posts warning that "you'll be paying $4, $5, and $6 a Gallon, and your Electric and other Energy costs will, likewise, SOAR" and that "if you vote Republican, your Energy Costs are going to go down."
In New York City, winning Democrat Zohran Mamdani didn't emphasize energy issues in his successful race for mayor.
- But he did oppose a contentious underwater natural gas pipeline and called expanded public transit "one of the greatest gifts we have to take on the climate crisis."
Another closely watched election on energy was Georgia's Public Service Commission, which regulates the state's utilities. Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard both ousted Republican incumbents.
- Johnson vowed to champion fair rates and renewables while focusing on underserved and rural areas. Hubbard said he wants to "shine sunlight on bad [energy] deals" while working to lower costs and emissions.
What we're watching: How all this affects next year's elections. The League of Conservation Voters said in a statement that Tuesday's results "prove that electricity bills are the kitchen table issue driving Democratic wins in 2025 and beyond."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from the League of Conservation Voters.
Sign up here for Axios' Future of Energy newsletter.
