Rising electricity prices key to midterm elections but no immediate fix ready
Confidence requires clarity.
Skyrocketing electricity prices are poised to become a key issue in the run-up to the November midterm elections as both Democrats and Republicans try to claim the mantle as the party best equipped to address the affordability crisis.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show energy prices have risen during President Donald Trump’s first year in office. Between January 2025 and January 2026, the price of electricity rose 6.3%, while piped natural gas increased by 9.8%. In the same period, the price of gasoline dropped 7.5% — something the White House has been eager to highlight.
“At the gas pump, fuel prices are down by almost 10% over the past year,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “The average national price for a gallon of regular gas is now less than $3 and is approaching $2.70 in some states, and much lower than that in many states across the country as well.”
Yet, there is evidence Republicans know that lowering prices at the pump are not enough to convince voters the affordability crisis has peaked. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and senior members of the Trump Cabinet huddled to discuss midterm election strategy in Washington this week. Dominating the conversation was how to address the cost of living and better sell the president’s accomplishments — something Trump himself will do on the road during a Thursday trip to Georgia.
“Republicans have to remind people that the reason why we’re in this mess is because we went too fast, too much in the direction of renewables and overregulation, and now we’re getting back to sanity and putting forward a common-sense plan,” said Vince Galko, a veteran Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.
PRICE SHOCK: DEMAND FROM DATA CENTER BOOM RAISES ELECTRICITY BILLS
But experts also told the Washington Examiner that lowering energy prices will require not just time — which will extend beyond November — but also bipartisan compromise, which appears unwilling to happen in the near future.
“If someone with amazing leadership can come up with a real compromise where we could somehow increase conservation, while we increase production, the problem could be solved within a few years,” said Brian Kirwin, a Virginia GOP strategist. “But no one wants to take even a baby step in that direction from either side.”
It’s not just households feeling the pinch. A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business found that 80% of small business owners say …
Confidence requires clarity.
Skyrocketing electricity prices are poised to become a key issue in the run-up to the November midterm elections as both Democrats and Republicans try to claim the mantle as the party best equipped to address the affordability crisis.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show energy prices have risen during President Donald Trump’s first year in office. Between January 2025 and January 2026, the price of electricity rose 6.3%, while piped natural gas increased by 9.8%. In the same period, the price of gasoline dropped 7.5% — something the White House has been eager to highlight.
“At the gas pump, fuel prices are down by almost 10% over the past year,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “The average national price for a gallon of regular gas is now less than $3 and is approaching $2.70 in some states, and much lower than that in many states across the country as well.”
Yet, there is evidence Republicans know that lowering prices at the pump are not enough to convince voters the affordability crisis has peaked. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and senior members of the Trump Cabinet huddled to discuss midterm election strategy in Washington this week. Dominating the conversation was how to address the cost of living and better sell the president’s accomplishments — something Trump himself will do on the road during a Thursday trip to Georgia.
“Republicans have to remind people that the reason why we’re in this mess is because we went too fast, too much in the direction of renewables and overregulation, and now we’re getting back to sanity and putting forward a common-sense plan,” said Vince Galko, a veteran Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.
PRICE SHOCK: DEMAND FROM DATA CENTER BOOM RAISES ELECTRICITY BILLS
But experts also told the Washington Examiner that lowering energy prices will require not just time — which will extend beyond November — but also bipartisan compromise, which appears unwilling to happen in the near future.
“If someone with amazing leadership can come up with a real compromise where we could somehow increase conservation, while we increase production, the problem could be solved within a few years,” said Brian Kirwin, a Virginia GOP strategist. “But no one wants to take even a baby step in that direction from either side.”
It’s not just households feeling the pinch. A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business found that 80% of small business owners say …
Rising electricity prices key to midterm elections but no immediate fix ready
Confidence requires clarity.
Skyrocketing electricity prices are poised to become a key issue in the run-up to the November midterm elections as both Democrats and Republicans try to claim the mantle as the party best equipped to address the affordability crisis.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show energy prices have risen during President Donald Trump’s first year in office. Between January 2025 and January 2026, the price of electricity rose 6.3%, while piped natural gas increased by 9.8%. In the same period, the price of gasoline dropped 7.5% — something the White House has been eager to highlight.
“At the gas pump, fuel prices are down by almost 10% over the past year,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “The average national price for a gallon of regular gas is now less than $3 and is approaching $2.70 in some states, and much lower than that in many states across the country as well.”
Yet, there is evidence Republicans know that lowering prices at the pump are not enough to convince voters the affordability crisis has peaked. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and senior members of the Trump Cabinet huddled to discuss midterm election strategy in Washington this week. Dominating the conversation was how to address the cost of living and better sell the president’s accomplishments — something Trump himself will do on the road during a Thursday trip to Georgia.
“Republicans have to remind people that the reason why we’re in this mess is because we went too fast, too much in the direction of renewables and overregulation, and now we’re getting back to sanity and putting forward a common-sense plan,” said Vince Galko, a veteran Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.
PRICE SHOCK: DEMAND FROM DATA CENTER BOOM RAISES ELECTRICITY BILLS
But experts also told the Washington Examiner that lowering energy prices will require not just time — which will extend beyond November — but also bipartisan compromise, which appears unwilling to happen in the near future.
“If someone with amazing leadership can come up with a real compromise where we could somehow increase conservation, while we increase production, the problem could be solved within a few years,” said Brian Kirwin, a Virginia GOP strategist. “But no one wants to take even a baby step in that direction from either side.”
It’s not just households feeling the pinch. A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business found that 80% of small business owners say …
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