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Virginia 2025 Gubernatorial Election: Key Climate & Clean Energy Themes

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Last Updated: 12/8/25

TWO DEBATE QUESTIONS, 11 DEBATE MENTIONS, EIGHT ADS:

During the Virginia gubernatorial debate, moderators asked the candidates two questions related to energy costs, data centers, and utility rate hikes. Climate and energy issues were mentioned by the candidates 11 times. 

• Spanberger mentioned energy costs twice, energy generation once, energy investments in Virginia once, and energy consumption related to data centers twice.
• Sears mentioned energy costs once and energy generation four times. 

During the campaign, Spanberger released six ads that mentioned energy costs. Sears released two ads that attacked clean energy, and did not mention energy costs in any of her ads.

SPANBERGER CENTERED ENERGY COSTS IN HER AFFORDABILITY MESSAGING:

• Addressing Virginians’ rising energy costs was a key pillar of Spanberger’s affordability messaging. Spanberger’s energy plan vowed to lower energy costs by addressing regulatory hurdles to expedite the construction and addition of new energy generation onto the grid. Spanberger emphasized lowering energy costs as a top priority, consistently noting how many Virginians were struggling with high energy bills, and pledged to work with utilities to expand bill assistance programs. In her victory speech, Spanberger pledged to increase energy generation and lower costs as governor, saying she had heard throughout her campaign about the impacts of rising energy costs on Virginians. 
• During her campaign, Sears failed to present a comprehensive strategy on how she would lower energy costs for Virginians, with energy costs not even mentioned as an issue on her website. Sears instead attacked her opponent for supporting the Inflation Reduction Act, which had spurred over 4,200 jobs and $2.3 billion in investment in Virginia, and provided over 89,000 Virginians with tax credits for clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades in 2023 alone. 

MEETING DATA CENTERS’ INCREASED ENERGY DEMAND BECAME A KEY POINT OF CONTRAST BETWEEN THE CANDIDATES:

• Spanberger made planning for Virginia’s data centers’ energy and resource needs, while not increasing Virginians’ energy bills, a pillar of her campaign on costs. Spanberger stressed the importance of ensuring data centers “pay their fair share,” including during the Virginia gubernatorial debate, and encouraged the use and expansion of clean energy generation and storage at data centers. In her victory speech, Spanberger reiterated her pledge to ensure large utility users like data centers paid their fair share of energy costs. 
• When it comes to how the state should handle data centers and their growing energy needs, Sears dismissed the issue, saying, “We can figure this out.” During the Virginia gubernatorial debate, rather than answering a question on how she would ensure Virginians weren’t stuck with higher energy bills due to data centers’ demands, Sears instead attacked Virginia’s Clean Economy Act and parroted misinformation about the viability of solar energy.

SPANBERGER WENT ON THE OFFENSE TO PROTECT AND GROW VIRGINIA’S CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY:

• Spanberger vowed to expand clean energy production in Virginia to create jobs and meet increasing demand. Her energy plan centered expanding clean energy generation, including developing Virginia’s offshore wind industry and deploying solar projects. Spanberger went on offense against the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans’ threats to Virginia’s clean energy economy. In the debate, she criticized Trump for taking “millions and millions of dollars of energy investments away from Virginia,” including the Norfolk Wind Project. She repeatedly tied rising energy costs to the OBBBA, and criticized Sears for supporting the bill. In her victory speech, Spanberger vowed to fight back against attacks from the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans on Virginia’s jobs and economy.  
• Sears not only defended Trump’s cuts to clean energy but parroted his attacks on the industry that employs thousands statewide. Despite previously supporting Virginia’s clean energy industry, including the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, during her campaign, Sears attacked wind energy as not “clean” and questioned its reliability. Sears also defended the OBBA, which was projected to increase Virginians’ energy costs by $250, as doing “so many great things.” 

SPANBERGER VOWED TO RECOMMIT VIRGINIA TO THE REGIONAL GREENHOUSE GAS INITIATIVE AND DEFENDED THE STATE’S CLEAN ECONOMY ACT:

• Spanberger said she would return Virginia to the RGGI in order to reduce pollution and meet the state’s clean energy goals. In rejoining, Spanberger vowed to negotiate the best ratepayer deal for Virginians and proposed using RGGI revenue for energy efficiency projects. Spanberger supported Virginia’s landmark Clean Economy Act, which increases clean energy production and caps rate increases, and wanted to build upon the law to support battery storage and spur energy generation.

• Sears opposed and frequently attacked both the RGGI and the Clean Economy Act. She called the legislation “disastrous” and claimed it increased electricity bills, and she touted her and Gov. Youngkin’s decision to remove Virginia from the RGGI, referring to the pollution-curbing initiative as an “energy tax.”