Skyrocketing utility bills dominated the 2025 governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia, offering Democrats a clear roadmap for the midterms

Washington, DC – In her inauguration speech, Governor Mikie Sherrill delivered on her campaign promise to declare a State of Emergency on Utility Costs on Day One, signing two executive orders aimed at lowering energy prices for New Jerseyans, who have seen a 15% rate increase since Trump took office. These actions will help make life less expensive, while Trump continues to call his self-made affordability crisis a “hoax” and a “con job.”

With the congressional midterms just around the corner, Donald Trump and Republicans are hiking up utility costs even higher by taking cleaner, cheaper energy options off the grid as demand skyrockets. Governor Sherrill successfully defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli by centering a large part of her campaign on lowering electricity costs and attacking Republican plans to cut clean energy. The 2025 gubernatorial election results offer a clear lesson for this coming November: holding Republicans accountable and embracing plans to lower utility bills is a winning message for Democrats in every state.

Climate Power Communications Director Alex Glass issued the following statement:

“Mikie Sherrill won by holding Republicans accountable and offering real solutions to the affordability crisis – and on day one of her governorship she’s delivering relief to New Jersey ratepayers and families. Donald Trump knows the price of energy is a problem for Republicans in the midterms – it’s why he’s making a show of chasing expensive Venezuelan oil and falsely claiming it will lower costs. Trump’s reckless agenda of gutting homegrown American clean energy is sending rates through the roof and voters will know who to blame when they head to the polls in November.