As Trump Raises Costs, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger Make Energy Affordability a “Key Component” of Their Platforms

As Trump Raises Costs, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger Make Energy Affordability a "Key Component" of Their Platforms

New reporting from National Journal highlights how Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger are making energy affordability a "key component" of their campaigns for governor, with both candidates recently unveiling plans to bring down energy costs while also making everything from food to prescription drugs to housing more affordable.

On the other hand, GOP candidates Jack Ciattarelli and Winsome Sears have nothing but praise for Donald Trump's deeply unpopular budget bill that is jacking up costs for working families, with National Journal noting that the bill will "increase annual energy bills by a total of $170 billion by 2034."

Read more from National Journal on how Sherrill and Spanberger are laser-focused on bringing down costs for working families:

• Electricity prices nationally have climbed more than twice as fast as overall living costs.

• Democratic gubernatorial nominees in Virginia and New Jersey are making combating rising costs a key component of their agendas. If they're successful, their playbook could be copied by Democrats across the country next year in the midterms.

• Residents of Virginia, New Jersey, and states across the country can expect prices to keep rising. The GOP budget bill, which rolled back some of the Inflation Reduction Act's clean-energy incentives, is projected to increase annual energy bills by a total of $170 billion by 2034, according to an analysis by energy and climate policy think tank Energy Innovation.

• Spanberger has proposed growing Virginia's energy independence by increasing local generation, exploring low- or no-fuel options, including wind and solar, and making data centers pay for their share of electricity generation.

• Sherrill follows a similar playbook. She's made investing in solar, reducing the state's carbon footprint, and freezing utility bills on day one her marquee proposal on the issue.

• The winning message on affordability and energy costs this year will be a key indicator to how midterm candidates approach this issue, which is unlikely to ease before next year.

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