Virginia and New Jersey just elected governors who ran on lowering bills, but experts warn their climate-first energy agendas could push costs higher and weaken reliability across the East Coast. This piece looks at the policy promises, the grid realities on PJM, rising demand from data centers and manufacturing, and sharp warnings from energy analysts about the likely consequences for families and businesses.
Voters in both states heard affordability talk on the campaign trail, yet the new leaders backed energy approaches centered on renewables and emissions targets. Those policies often come with mandates that phase out conventional generation before new capacity is guaranteed, creating a gap between promises and real-world supply. Critics say that gap is where higher prices and outages can appear.
Experts point to the regional grid operator that manages much of the East Coast as a key factor in how local decisions ripple across state lines. PJM governs a sprawling network where retiring plants in one state affect costs and reliability in others, and recent years have seen sharp upward pressure on bills. At the same time, new loads like AI data centers are adding sustained demand just as dispatchable generation is being squeezed out.
“[The] election results are bad news for affordable energy. With climate-obsessed Democrats taking full control in Virginia, expect a return to costly net-zero mandates that raise electric bills and drive industry out of the state. In New Jersey, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill will continue the state’s push for climate-driven energy policies that make power less reliable and more expensive,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, told the DCNF. “The message is clear: energy costs will rise, reliability will fall and working families will pay the price.”
Those comments are echoed by other conservative analysts who see a repeat of policy choices that trade reliable, affordable power for intermittent generation goals. “The Biden administration’s rush to shut down conventional energy and replace it with wind and solar caused the most severe electricity price spikes in American history,” James Taylor, President of the Heartland Institute, told the DCNF. “Voters in New Jersey and Virginia chose to do the same thing all over again while expecting different results. They will be severely disappointed.”
There are sharp policy specifics to worry about, like mandates tied to the Virginia Clean Economy Act and participation in regional carbon markets that add costs to electricity. New Jersey has already shuttered its coal fleet and set aggressive clean energy targets, making it a net importer of power in normal conditions. Those structural shifts leave both states more exposed when demand surges or wind and sun do not show up.
“Democrat wins in New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races mean that electricity prices will continue to spiral upwards thanks to funding from the ongoing Green New Scam,” Steve Milloy, senior fellow at the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, told the DCNF. Policymakers who lean heavily on subsidized intermittent resources without ensuring firm backup are setting the stage for higher bills and less dependable service, advocates say.
Governor-elect messaging included promises to lower costs and support new technologies like nuclear and geothermal, but critics call the plans thin on practical steps. Spanberger’s materials mention solar on brownfield sites and roofs and nod to advanced nuclear, yet analysts question whether intermittent resources will be prioritized over natural gas when it matters most. “Governor-elect Spanberger might have campaigned on energy independence, but will prioritize climate-first energy policies. This is a serious misreading of the energy abundance moment we’re in,” Director of Independent Women’s Center for Energy and Conservation Gabriella Hoffman told the DCNF.
Spanberger also said she would “expand and incentivize the development and deployment of solar energy projects in commonsense locations such as abandoned mine sites, former industrial sites, rooftops, and parking lots, and locations where the reduction in energy costs would have an impact on the local community, such as schools and public buildings.” Yet experts worry those steps, while useful, do not replace the dispatchable power needed to handle rising loads from industry and data centers.
On natural gas, Spanberger reportedly stated, “we really need to be focused and sort of thinking carefully about the lifespan of those [natural gas] projects and whether indeed they are the most cost-effective solution.” That kind of caution signals possible limits on new gas investments, a risky stance in regions that still rely on gas for reliable baseload and peaking power. Virginia imports a large share of its fuel and has closed many coal plants, a mix that raises the stakes for policy choices.
New Jersey officials promised to freeze utility costs and touted aggressive clean targets, but measuring how to freeze bills while shifting supply and adding mandates is a political trick. “Democrats had a good night and won governorships in two states that have not voted for a Republican presidential candidate in decades, but Republicans should regroup and focus on next steps to tout their economic wins and plans for the future,” Republican Strategist Mark Bednar told the DCNF. “Look for Republican campaigns around the country to spend the next year tying Democrat candidates to Mayor-elect Mamdani’s policies, and when it comes to energy affordability, to his opposition to supporting the fossil fuel infrastructure American communities need to prosper.”
