Home » Gubernatorial Research Hub

2025 Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Centered Climate And Clean Energy In Their Campaigns

Download Content

Last Updated: 11/6/25

Abigail Spanberger

Spanberger Made Lowering Utility Costs A Key Part Of Her Campaign

Spanberger Used Her Victory Speech To Highlight Lowering Energy Costs, And Pledged To Fight Back Against Attacks On Virginia’s Economy:

• During her victory speech, Spanberger pledged to increase energy generation, lower energy costs, and ensure large utility users “pay their fair share.” 
• During her victory speech, Spanberger vowed to fight back against attacks from the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans on Virginia’s jobs and economy. 
• In an interview, Spanberger said she had heard throughout her campaign about the impact of rising energy costs on Virginians. 

Spanberger Released An Energy Plan Focused On Expanding Clean Energy And Lowering Costs For Virginians:

• In June 2025, Spanberger’s campaign released an energy plan, which focused on technologies like solar energy and battery storage.
  • Spanberger vowed to work to lower energy costs by speeding up the timelines for bringing new electricity generation projects onto the grid.
  • Spanberger pledged to work with utilities to expand bill assistance programs, including Virginia’s Percentage of Income Payment program. 
  • Spanberger called to make sure data centers pay their fair share of the cost of new electricity generation and encouraged clean energy for generation and storage at data centers.
  • To reduce energy bills and wasted energy, Spanberger supported maximizing energy-efficient measures, including home weatherization.
  • Spanberger pledged to address regulatory issues to speed up the construction of new energy projects to drive down costs. 
• Spanberger supported expanding solar, offshore wind, nuclear power, geothermal, and hydrogen energy sources.

Spanberger Centered Rising Energy And Utility Costs In Several Campaign Ads:

• In a June 2025 campaign ad, Spanberger said she routinely hears from Virginians who worry about the impact that data centers have on energy costs. The same ad said a Spanberger administration would be “focused on making energy bills cheaper.”
• In an August 2025 campaign ad, Spanberger cited energy costs as a challenge for Virginia families.
• A Spanish-language radio ad from the Spanberger campaign said that the price of electricity was rising, and warned that it would rise even more if Winsome Earle-Sears were elected. 
• In an August 2025 campaign ad, Spanberger said that Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act “raises the price of electricity and gas.”

Spanberger Routinely Highlighted Her Plan To Lower Costs And Increase Clean Energy Generation In Virginia:

• During an October 2025 rally in Charlottesville, Spanberger emphasized lowering energy costs as a top priority and noted the challenges that high energy costs created for people who wanted to live in or start a business in Virginia. 
• In an October 2025 interview, Spanberger said she wanted Virginia to become more energy independent and develop “technologies of the future” to lower energy costs. 
• In an October 2025 press release, Spanberger emphasized the importance of reducing energy costs while meeting increasing energy demand. 
• In an October 2025 Op-Ed for Fox News, Spanberger highlighted high energy costs as a top challenge for Virginians. 

Spanberger Advocated For A Statewide Strategy To Ensure Virginia Planned For Data Centers’ Energy Needs While Not Increasing Virginians’ Utility Costs:

• During the October 2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Debate, Spanberger said it was important for data centers to “pay their fair share.” 
• In an October 2025 interview with Loudoun Now, Spanberger said the state needed to plan for the energy and water resources used by data centers to ensure they would not drive up energy bills for consumers. 
• During an October 2025 rally in Charlottesville, Spanberger noted the importance of balancing the benefits of data centers with the energy generation, water, and other resources needed to support them, and said she would work to meet the energy demand of data centers without driving up energy costs. 
• As part of her energy plan, Spanberger called for data centers to pay their fair share of the cost of new electricity generation.
• As part of her energy plan, Spanberger also encouraged clean energy for generation and storage at data centers.
• In an August 2025 statement, Spanberger reiterated that Virginia could benefit from data centers but stressed the need to plan for the energy resources they need.
• In a July 2025 interview, Spanberger said she believed Virginia needed a statewide data center strategy to support job creation and work with developers on power generation and its related costs. 
• In a March 2025 interview, Spanberger acknowledged Virginia could benefit from having data centers but called for a statewide plan to ensure localities had a “best practices standard” for utility rates to make sure data centers were “paying their fair share.”

Spanberger Touted The Benefits Of Clean Energy And Vowed To Expand Clean Energy Generation As Governor

Spanberger Supported Clean Energy Expansion And The Jobs It Creates, Including Offshore Wind Projects Targeted By President Trump: 

• During the October 2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Debate, Spanberger said she wanted to see Virginia become more energy independent and become a global leader in energy development. 
• In a September 2025 interview with VPM, Spanberger said she would implement a statewide strategy to recognize sites that would be appealing to solar energy developers, including abandoned mine sites and non-agricultural lands, to support solar growth in the Commonwealth. 
• As part of her energy plan, Spanberger vowed to expand clean electricity generation, support the development of Virginia’s offshore wind industry, and deploy solar energy projects.
• During a campaign rally in June 2025, Spanberger said that Virginians were struggling to keep up with high energy bills and touted her plan to lower energy costs and put Virginia on a path to being a “nationwide leader in building the energy solutions of the future.”
• In August 2025, Spanberger told Inside Climate News that solar projects must be encouraged, along with an offshore wind project by Dominion Energy (which was stalled by the Trump administration).
  • Spanberger on clean energy jobs: “Whether it’s in the construction and manufacturing installation, those jobs should be right here in Virginia. Those industries should be right here in Virginia.”

Spanberger Criticized The Trump Administration For Cutting Funding For Clean Energy Projects In Virginia: 

• During the October 2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Debate, Spanberger said the Trump administration had taken “millions and millions of dollars of energy investments away from Virginia.” 
• In a September 2025 interview with The Hill, Spanberger said that rising energy costs would only get worse because of Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” 
• In a September 2025 op-ed, Spanberger criticized the Trump Administration’s withdrawal of funding for the Norfolk Wind Project, saying, “The Trump Administration’s sledgehammer approach to governing is hurting Virginia — from firing thousands of federal workers to slashing federal funds for critical projects across our Commonwealth. Not only is the Fairwinds Landing project set up to support Virginia’s nation-leading offshore wind industry, but also to create hundreds of new jobs and bring economic growth to Hampton Roads and communities across Coastal Virginia.” 
• In an October 2025 campaign rally, Spanberger said the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” would cause energy prices to go up. 
• During a November 2025 campaign rally, Spanberger criticized her opponent, Winsome Sears, for supporting the OBBBA that raised energy costs. 

Spanberger Said She Would Seek To Rejoin The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative As Governor

Spanberger Proposed Returning Virginia To The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Highlighting Potential Funding For Energy Efficiency And Climate Resilience Projects:

• As part of her energy plan, Spanberger said she would work to negotiate the best ratepayer deal for Virginians when rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). She also proposed using the RGGI revenue for energy efficiency projects.
• In August 2025, Spanberger told the Virginia Mercury that she would return Virginia to RGGI, which generated funding to help with flooding mitigation and other resiliency projects in the Commonwealth.
• In a December 2024 interview with the Virginia Scope, Spanberger said “As we’re seeing some some real devastation in Virginia, recognizing that in a future where we rejoin RGGI, it’s not only important to the goal of reducing our state’s emissions and meeting some clean energy goals, which are incredibly important, but it’s also unbelievably valuable for our ability to use this revenue to make investments in our community.”

Spanberger Supported The Virginia Clean Economy Act

• In a September 2025 interview with VPM, Spanberger said she supported the Virginia Clean Economy Act and the principles behind it, but noted that updates could be made to support battery storage and increased energy generation in the state.  

Spanberger Supported Conservation Efforts To Address The Impacts Of The Climate Crisis

Spanberger Supported Sustainable Farming And Conservation Efforts On Public Lands And Waterways:

• On her campaign website, Spanberger pledged to “prioritize protecting Virginia’s public lands — while maintaining hunting and fishing opportunities for Virginia families.”
• A spokesperson for Spanberger met with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and pledged to “make sure conservation efforts are working as intended, and that businesses are following the law.” 
• A spokesperson for Spanberger said she supported investing in sustainable farming programs by “strengthening voluntary, state-level programs to help Virginia farmers and producers reduce runoff and improve water quality.” 

Mikie Sherrill

Sherrill Made Lowering Utility Costs A Key Part Of Her Campaign

Sherrill Used Her Post-Election Victory Speech And Interviews To Highlight Lowering Energy Costs:

• During her victory speech, Sherrill reiterated her pledge to declare a state of emergency on utility costs on day one. 
• In a post-election interview with Good Morning America, Sherrill said she ran her campaign on the issue of affordability, including energy costs. 
• In a press conference, Sherrill reiterated her pledge to declare a state of emergency to freeze utility costs on day one, saying she had heard from New Jerseyans throughout her campaign about the importance of driving down costs to combat the Trump administration’s actions that have driven up prices.
  • Sherrill also highlighted her affordability plans for New Jersey’s Latino community, citing concerns around red tape and permitting issues for businesses. 
  • Sherrill stated that she had spoken with utility companies about ways to lower costs. 
• In an interview with CNN, Sherrill said she would address high energy costs through her state of emergency on utility costs, and noted that her campaign kept its focus on addressing rising costs due to the Trump administration. 
• In an interview with MSNBC, Sherrill said she intended to move “quickly and actively” on her state of emergency on utility costs. 

Sherrill Consistently Highlighted Lowering Energy Costs As A Central Message Throughout Her Campaign:

• Speaking to NAIOP members in September 2025, Sherrill pledged to freeze utility rate hikes and said it would coincide with “a massive expansion of energy in our state” to drive up power production while lowering costs. 
• During an August 2025 press conference, Sherrill vowed to declare a state of emergency over utility rates on “day one,” and that rising electric bills were “breaking the back of too many families when we have an overall affordability crisis.”
  • Sherrill said, “So much of that pain is coming from electric bills, and the rate hikes are forcing families to make impossible choices between putting food on the table and paying for electric bills.”
  • Sherrill pledged that average New Jersey families would not see utility rate increases for one year under her plan. 
  • In a November 2025 interview, Sherrill said she had already received a promise from utility companies to negotiate to get energy costs down. 
• During a March 2025 campaign event, Sherrill pledged to hold regional grid operators accountable for stalling clean energy projects, and said she would pressure PJM to plug clean energy into the grid, who she accused of being influenced by big oil and gas interests.
  • In a July 2025 press release, Sherrill criticized PJM over its planned utility rate increase and said the grid operator was giving preference to coal and oil while refusing to plug clean energy into the grid. 
  • In an October 2025 interview, Sherrill blamed the mismanagement of utilities for higher electricity costs. 
• During her remarks at the March 2025 Morris County Democrats Convention, Sherrill criticized Republicans for failing to invest in clean energy while utility rates went up. 

Sherrill Penned An Op-Ed Outlining Her Strategy For Lowering Energy Costs:

• In a June 2025 op-ed for NJBIZ, Sherrill said she would work with the Legislature and Board of Public Utilities to optimize ratepayer protection funds, which offer temporary assistance to cover sudden rises in utility costs.
  • Sherrill cited the electricity shortage as the cause of utility-price hikes and said clean energy sources were “ready and waiting to come online to our grid” and would bring down energy costs. 
  • In a November 2025 interview, Sherrill said she would use Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funding through the Board of Public Utilities to help lower utility costs. 

Sherrill Ran Several Ads Highlighting Her Plan To Lower Utility Costs:

• In a September 2025 ad, Sherrill said, “Day one as governor, I’m declaring a State of Emergency on Utility Costs. Using emergency powers to end these rate hikes and drive down your bills.”
  • In a second September 2025 ad, Sherrill featured headlines about her proposed utility bill freeze. 
• In a May 2025 campaign video, Sherrill called out PJM for failing to add clean power to the grid, saying, “268 gigawatts of power is just waiting to be added to the grid. Most of it, actually, clean power. And PJM has taken far too long to add it, taking up to six years to permit and add these new projects to our grid. And here’s the kicker. Adding just 7 gigawatts of new power could have drastically reduced prices and improved reliability this summer.”
  • Sherrill accused PJM of failing to add clean power to the grid because of “Big Oil and gas interests on the board.” 
• In her first campaign ad in April 2025, Sherrill highlighted driving down utility costs as a priority. 

Sherrill Advocated Against The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Highlighting How Its Attacks On Clean Energy Will Hike Energy Costs:

• During the October 2025 New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate, Sherrill said the OBBBA raised energy costs and that Trump “cut energy support amid a utility crisis.” 
• In October 2025, Sherrill spoke at the PIX11 Forum and called the OBBBA an “attack on our economy” that would raise utility costs. 
• In July 2025, Sherrill visited the BEMS West Solar Farm in Southampton Township and said the bill could pull the plug on the project, leading to higher utility bills for New Jerseyans. 
• Sherrill said Trump’s bill would slash investments that help New Jersey build resilient infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, and combat climate change, all while raising energy costs.
• During an August 2025 press conference, Sherrill called out how the OBBBA would raise utility bills, saying, “Trump’s tax hike bill is raising utility costs by $220 each year.”
• Speaking at the virtual DNC GOTV Kick-Off in October 2025, Sherrill tied her opponent, Ciattarelli, to Trump and cost increases from tariffs and the OBBBA. 
• During a November 2025 campaign rally, Sherrill tied higher utility costs to the OBBBA and said she would fight back against attacks on clean energy from the Trump administration, saying Trump’s energy plan was designed for the fossil fuel industry. 
• During a November 2025 interview, Sherrill pledged to fight back against Trump and Republicans’ attacks on clean energy, tying Trump’s $250 million in campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies to his administration’s cancellation of clean energy programs. 
• During a November 2025 interview, Sherrill said the OBBBA and attacks on clean energy by the Trump administration would make energy costs go up by thousands of dollars. 

Sherrill Pledged To Support The Build-Out Of Clean Energy To Help Lower Costs

Sherrill Released A Plan To Lower Energy Costs That Centered Clean Energy Development: 

• In August 2025, Sherrill’s campaign released a plan to lower utility costs, which called to freeze utility rates, build out clean energy generation, and hold utility companies and PJM, the state’s grid operator, accountable:
  • Sherrill’s plan pledged to freeze utility costs for families and ensure that average New Jersey families see no utility rate increases over the next year.  
  • Sherrill’s plan vowed to “massively” increase power generation by eliminating red tape and permitting delays for clean energy projects, immediately break ground on new solar and battery storage projects, and expediting upgrades at existing nuclear plants. 
  • Sherrill’s plan called for increasing transparency and accountability for utility providers to ensure they were not engaging in price gouging and collusion. She pledged to immediately convene an emergency meeting of utility companies to urge them to connect more clean energy to the grid. 
  • Sherrill said she would instruct her Attorney General to take legal action against PJM and President Trump for “actively thwarting the development of new, needed power plants” and refusing to connect new energy sources to the grid.

Sherrill Pledged To Build Out Clean Energy And Invest In Solar Energy, Which She Called “Key” To Lowering Costs:

• During the October 2025 New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate, Sherrill said she would build an “energy arsenal” and scale solar and battery storage. 
• In October 2025, Sherrill attended the “Made In NJ” Manufacturing Day Forum in Freehold, where she reiterated her pledge to freeze rate hikes on day one and said she would seek to build out clean energy generation.
  • Sherrill pledged to work with the manufacturing community to solve permitting issues, lower energy costs, and improve workforce development programs. 
• On her campaign website, Sherrill pledged to invest in the production of clean energy, such as solar, which she noted is “one of the cheapest energy sources to develop.” 
• In a June 2025 interview, Sherrill said solar was the “key” to lowering utility costs in New Jersey, and said she wanted to make the state a leader in community and utility-scale solar to drive down utility bills. 
• In a June 2025 op-ed for NJBIZ, Sherrill said she would seek to expand community solar projects on warehouses and commercial spaces, build solar fields on landfills, brownfields, and other underutilized spaces, and push for energy storage projects. 
• During her remarks at the March 2025 Morris County Democrats Convention, Sherrill pledged to invest in community solar to “make sure that our utility bills don’t constantly go up.” 
• In an October 2025 interview, Sherrill said her budget would include funding to modernize gas facilities and expand rooftop solar and battery storage. 

Sherrill Advocated For Improving Permitting And Regulations To Support The Development Of Offshore Wind:

• During a February 2025 discussion at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research in New Brunswick, Sherrill noted the problems New Jersey has seen in trying to develop offshore wind, calling it “a real failure of permitting and regulation in our state. […] We, because of many regulatory and permitting problems, took way too long. That cost us.”

Sherrill Supported Building Out Infrastructure For Electric Vehicles: 

• During a February 2025 discussion at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research in New Brunswick, Sherrill noted the importance of building out infrastructure to meet the state’s goals for electric vehicle adoption. 
• During a February 2025 press conference, Sherrill said she would allow the New Jersey Turnpike expansion project to continue, but emphasized the need to build out EV charging stations for heavy trucking. 
• During a February 2025 press conference, Sherrill expressed opposition to Governor Murphy’s initiative to have all new cars be zero-emission by 2035, instead favoring an “opt-in” approach and support for hybrid vehicles. 

Sherrill Highlighted The Importance Of Increasing New Energy Generation And Ensuring Data Centers Did Not Increase New Jerseyans’ Energy Costs:

• In October 2025, Sherrill noted the increased energy demand caused by data centers and said a lack of new energy generation in the state was causing utility rate hikes. 
• In October 2025, Sherrill stressed the need to take action to reduce energy prices and ensure that data centers paid their fair share. 

Sherrill Highlighted The Need To Protect Against The Impacts Of The Climate Crisis

Sherrill Advocated For A Comprehensive Statewide Plan To Address Climate Change And Environmental Injustice:

• During a February 2025 interview, Sherrill said New Jersey needed a “comprehensive strategy to address climate change and build a plan that meets the energy needs of the future with clean, low-cost power.”
  • Sherrill said a comprehensive climate change strategy would “fuel economic growth and create good-paying jobs, prevent worsening weather events due to climate change, and improve the health of our children and grandchildren.”
• During a January 2025 interview, Sherrill pledged to address inequities in who is affected by climate change and environmental contamination, citing her experience in Congress securing funding to replace lead service lines, upgrade water infrastructure, and address environmental pollution. 

Sherrill Advocated For Building Resilient Infrastructure To Combat Extreme Weather:

• On her campaign website, Sherrill said that as governor, she would work to build climate-resilient infrastructure to combat the threat of flooding, protect jobs in the forestry and farming industries, and increase families’ savings through lower insurance premiums. 
• In a May 2025 interview, Sherrill discussed the impacts of extreme weather and pledged to create a statewide flood mitigation and resiliency plan, saying, “From flooding to wildfires to rising temperatures, we’re seeing once-in-a-generation disasters every year, jeopardizing our homes, businesses and safety. It’s a threat to coastal communities and inland towns. As governor, I will create a true statewide flood mitigation and resiliency plan — and make sure we stick to it.” 
• In a March 2025 interview, Sherrill noted the importance of bringing together federal, state, and local stakeholders to address and fund flood mitigation projects, saying, “I have the Army Corps of Engineers on speed dial because I am constantly working on flood mitigation projects in North Jersey. Municipalities simply don’t have the tools to solve this alone — that’s why I brought federal, state, and local stakeholders together to fund projects along the Whippany, Peckman and Rahway Rivers. As governor, I will create a true statewide flood mitigation and resiliency plan — and make sure we stick to it.” 
• In an October 2025 interview, Sherrill said that due to climate change, New Jersey had some of the “most environmentally fragile places,” citing river flooding and the Jersey Shore’s increased risk from rising sea levels. 

Sherrill Said New Jersey Could Consider Legal Action Against The Federal Government Over Funding To Clean Up Toxic Substances Like PFAS: 

• During a February 2025 discussion at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research in New Brunswick, Sherrill said New Jersey could consider suing the federal government if it did not get funding to clean up toxic substances like PFAS. 

Sherrill Highlighted The Need To Limit Environmental Damage Caused By Infrastructure Projects, Like The New Jersey Turnpike Expansion:

• During a February 2025 press conference, Sherrill said she would allow the New Jersey Turnpike expansion project to continue, but expressed the need to take measures to avoid “adding more carbon into neighborhoods that have been historically the recipient of so much of the carcinogens in our state.”