Newly elected Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger. Photo: Adnan Masri
In the 2025 general election, voters in Virginia and New Jersey elected governors committed to clean energy solutions to address rising costs and strengthen the reliability of the electric grid. Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger and Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill focused their campaigns on energy affordability, reliability and readily available clean energy solutions, and won.
“The results of both gubernatorial races reflect that leaders who embrace clean energy as a path to lower bills, reliable power and economic growth will be rewarded at the ballot box,” said Heather O’Neill, president and CEO of Advanced Energy United. “This election sends a clear message to every statehouse in America: clean energy wins.”
Virginia and New Jersey share overlapping energy challenges, including rising electricity needs, rising costs and an aging electrical grid. Both governors-elect will need to hit the ground running to meet this moment by working with their legislatures and across state lines to make it easier to build more advanced energy infrastructure, as well as to maximize existing grid infrastructure and ensure that grid infrastructure investments are not made based on outdated solutions.
“Virginians voted for a pragmatic leader who gets results because we are in the midst of a growing energy affordability crisis, and she will need to lead from Day 1,” said Jim Purekal, Virginia director at Advanced Energy United. “Governor-elect Spanberger has a clear mandate to make energy more affordable and reliable by making it easier to build cheap clean energy and solving the bottlenecks slowing progress.”
“Newly elected Governor Sherrill won and won on a clean energy platform because of what clean energy delivers: lower bills, a more reliable grid and homegrown jobs,” said Katie Mettle, New Jersey policy leader at Advanced Energy United. “Her victory signals that New Jerseyans understand that clean energy is a winning formula for families, for the economy and for the electric grid.”
In other energy-related election night news, Georgia has elected two new public service commissioners to the state’s five-person body. This is the first time since 2006 that an incumbent commissioner has lost his election. Challengers Peter Hubbard and Dr. Alicia Johnson unseated two incumbents who voted for six rate hikes in the past two years.
“The election of two new public service commissioners represents a seismic change in Georgia’s energy landscape and reflects a new electricity politics in America,” said Charles Hua, founder and executive director of Streamline. “Consumers have sent a clear message: they are paying attention and will hold government officials accountable for decisions that affect their energy bills.”
News item from Advanced Energy United
