Driving the news: Democrats campaigned heavily on affordability, including rising fuel prices amid President Trump’s Iran war and rising electricity bills, driven by the AI boom.
The big picture: The relative lack of climate change is striking when you consider that Democrats of all political stripes won big.
Zoom: Even some of the party’s most prominent climate advocates have focused on affordability over climate change — or reconsidered ambitious climate policies in response to rising costs.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who previously championed the state’s ambitious climate agenda, pushed this year to weaken parts of her landmark climate law, citing affordability concerns.
- Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a co-author of the Green New Deal, downplayed the proposal during his re-election campaign, emphasizing affordability and other priorities instead.
- Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico, who has previously warned about the impact of fossil fuels on the planet, campaigned on protecting oil and gas jobs while expanding renewable energy and reducing electricity bills.
Flashback: Political change has been underway since the 2024 presidential election, when even climate-focused groups began placing less emphasis on climate change in their political advertising, a trend that persisted through the midterms.
State of affairs: On a call with reporters the day after the election, leading environmental groups celebrated Democrats’ victories as a rejection of Trump’s energy policies, arguing that his attacks on clean energy contributed to rising electricity bills.
- “Trump’s energy plan has been an economic disaster for families and a political disaster for Republicans, and voters have sent a very strong message,” said Lori Lodes, president of Climate Power, an advocacy group that spent big on the election.
Yes, but: While the Green New Deal-era approach of campaigning explicitly on climate change has all but disappeared, Democrats are repositioning clean energy as part of a broader approach focused on affordability and the economy.
- “There is no doubt that climate change will be higher on the agenda under Democratic leadership,” Jason Grumet, director of the American Clean Power Association, said this week. “And I think people recognize that the solution comes more from a principle of abundance than a principle of restriction.”
Zoom out: The affordability-focused approach reflects a broader awareness within the climate movement.
- “We need to find the limited spaces for progress in a world where climate is even more deprioritized than it was a few years ago,” Armond Cohen, executive director of the Clean Air Task Force, told Axios in an interview before the election.
- Cohen’s organization recently unveiled a revised strategy focused on climate solutions that governments can more realistically afford and that can attract support across the political spectrum.
What we’re looking at: Electing Democrats in traditionally Republican, fossil fuel-producing states like Texas could reinforce the party’s focus on affordable energy and economic development rather than an explicit transition away from fossil fuels.
Reality check: Even though climate change is no longer a major political priority, its physical impacts – and growing economic costs – will not go away.
The plot: As Axios’ Ben Geman pointed out earlier this week, Democrats are unlikely to revive the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, although no decisions have been announced.
What’s next: Next week will feature a split-screen reality.
- The Senate is about to begin debate on a shaky but important bill aimed at fast-tracking energy projects of all kinds, whose impact on climate change might be significant — or not.
- Meanwhile, some Democratic lawmakers plan to attend the annual United Nations climate conference that begins Monday in Antalya, Turkey.
Sign up for Axios’ Future of Energy newsletter here.
Gn headline
