Democrats win chance to take on energy costs

• High gasoline prices, record diesel costs, and rising power bills fueled discontent with President Trump and his party.
• Voters' rebukes of data centers could slow the buildout of power-hungry AI infrastructure.

The latest: Stunning Senate wins in red states and House wins nationwide propelled Democrats to control of both chambers, and flipped several governor's mansions.

• Energy costs were prominent in key races, such as Democrats hitting GOP rivals over farmers' bills in Iowa, Kansas and Ohio.
• Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa (D) bashed Greg Abbott (R) over his prior embrace of data centers in the state where developers are planning big projects.
• The data center backlash also featured in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Sherrod Brown defeated Sen. Jon Husted (R) and Paige Cognetti unseated Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R). Both Republicans faced criticism over their support for data centers.

State of play: A detailed Democratic energy agenda hasn't emerged, but there are early clues.

• Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer tied Republicans to electricity costs in his first comments after returns came in.
• Likely Speaker-in-waiting Hakeem Jeffries has vowed to quickly push an affordability agenda, with energy as a key pillar.
• He tasked Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) and Mike Levin (D-Calif.) with leading a "Gas and Utilities Affordability Working Group" that crafted ideas, though they remain under wraps.

Another potential source of ideas: Hundreds of proposals backed this year by the 100-plus member House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.

• Some could gain bipartisan backing, like support for advanced nuclear power.
• But other areas would be largely symbolic, like restoring some IRA tax credits.

Catch up quick: In the Senate, Schumer has offered broad areas of focus around grid development, affordability and consumer protections, and clean energy.

• He has vowed to restore clean energy tax credits, while pledging "systematic protection for consumers from rising prices."
• Other ideas include more support for energy efficiency and greater transparency in utility bills.

The intrigue: Democrats did not make climate change a midterm messaging focus.

• Watch whether progressives push to revive an explicitly climate-focused agenda.

My thought bubble: Don't expect Democrats to bring back their select committee on climate change, which Republicans disbanded after winning House control in 2022.

• There has not been a decision announced.
• But the party's shift away from messaging focused on climate is reason to be doubtful, even as global warming marches on.

What's next: The most immediate thing to watch is how the results may affect the politics of the bipartisan permitting deal in the lame duck.

• Some House progressives have argued that Dems could get a permitting deal more to their liking next year.
• But backers of the current bill see almost no chance of a political opening to craft a more liberal bill that Trump would sign or could even clear the Senate.

The permitting fight has also opened rifts within the Democratic coalition, with multiple unions and the clean energy industry backing the bill, while many environmentalists are undecided or flatly opposed.

• The debate also highlights broader divisions between the "abundance movement" and progressives who want a harder line against fossil fuels
• Those divisions could extend well beyond the lame duck permitting fight, influencing future legislative priorities and the policy agendas of presidential hopefuls as 2028 jockeying begins in earnest.

The bottom line: One thing already clear is that Democrats are lining up energy-focused oversight of Trump's diesel agreement with Moscow, offshore wind policies and much more.

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