To: Interested Parties
From: Sara Schreiber, LCV Victory Fund SVP of Campaigns
Date: October 26, 2026
Re: MEMO: The most important state and local races to lower energy costs, fight Big Polluters, and protect our environment

The fight to control Governors’ mansions, state legislatures, and utility boards will have an enormous impact on energy bills, data centers, and a host of other issues that have been front and center for 2026 voters. Races to decide control of Congress have dominated headlines. LCV Victory Fund has made the largest total spend by any outside issue group to win back a pro-environmental majority in the US House and Senate. But state leaders have been our best bulwark against Trump’s worst attacks. They have also been the major source of progress over the last two years; Governors who have expanded clean energy infrastructure, attorneys general who beat the Trump Administration in court, utility boards that froze rates increases, and legislatures that have passed laws to lower energy costs and hold big polluters accountable. That’s why our state affiliates have invested $20 million to win races in 2026. 

And we know much more is possible. In 2025, then-candidates Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger cruised to victory in their gubernatorial races on a message of energy affordability driven by more clean energy and they have already started delivering major policies. Voters have made it clear they want more leaders like this who will fight rising energy costs, stand up to Big Oil and Big Tech, and invest in clean affordable energy. These Energy Bill Voters will be a deciding factor this election, especially in crucial state elections often decided by a few hundred votes.

Below you’ll find a list of races up and down the ticket in states across the country that are major priorities for LCV Victory Fund’s state affiliates to lower energy costs and build the cleaner, healthier future that every community deserves. These are the races to watch that will be a harbinger for the shift in the country and could lay the groundwork for major policy opportunities in 2027 and beyond.

Governors

Michigan Governor 

Michigan continues to set the tone for the direction of the country. It stands on the doorstep of the world’s largest source of freshwater. Detroit companies set the precedent for reducing vehicle emissions, and it has been a critical place where new clean energy policy is enacted. The contrast between the candidates to lead these decisions could not be clearer. John James earned a dismal Lifetime Score of 7% in LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. He has promised to repeal Michigan’s Clean Energy and Jobs Act and voted for the Big Beautiful Bill which has cost Michigan thousands of clean energy and manufacturing jobs and gave major data center tax breaks to Big Tech. 

Meanwhile current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has released a full energy affordability plan in April of this year. She speaks clearly about her plans to protect the Great Lakes and take on Data Center developers and is endorsed by Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

Ohio Governor

No state in recent years has dealt with a bigger energy scandal than Ohio. The FirstEnergy bribery case made it abundantly clear the state is in dire need of new leaders who are willing to take on both corruption and monopoly utility company greed. But Ohioans won’t see that from Vivek Ramaswamy. He has called climate change a hoax, peddled extreme conspiracy theories, and is a vocal opponent of clean energy, which would bring down costs for Ohioans. He has proposed solutions to the energy cost crisis including producing more polluting coal, natural gas, and fracking in Ohio and he himself has millions of dollars invested in data centers.

Meanwhile Dr. Amy Acton has made lower energy bills and fighting big utilities a centerpiece of her campaign. She has a comprehensive data center policy and made promises to enact a Day 1 anti-corruption taskforce to take on big corporations like FirstEnergy.

Wisconsin Governor

Wisconsin has spent over a decade under a gerrymandered legislature that kept anti-environmental majorities in power despite the will of the people. Voters finally have fair district maps for the state legislature and an open seat for governor, giving the state an enormous opportunity to win a pro-conservation trifecta for the first time in nearly two decades. This would allow the state to make significant gains for clean energy, clean water, and voting rights. None of this will be possible if Tom Tiffany is elected governor. He has an abysmal 1% Lifetime Score in LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. The Wisconsin Cap Times said he would be an ‘Environmental Disaster” as Governor, calling out his climate denial, attacks on land conservation, and ties to oil and gas. Ads in the race from Wisconsin Conservation Voters IEC have called out Tiffany’s ties to the data center industry, in what’s become one of if not the top issue in the race. 

David Crowley on the other hand has committed to holding Big Tech and electric utilities accountable with clean energy mandates and making sure data centers pay their full share in energy and water costs, and holding corporate polluters responsible for environmental damage and mitigation. 

Utility Commissions

Arizona Corporation Commission

The ACC is frequently highlighted as one of the most important state level decision makers for the future of clean energy. This critical board oversees utilities and can set a clean energy mandate for the entire state. While a clean energy majority has fallen short in recent years, recent victories like the Salt River Project Board elections in April show there is a clear opportunity this year to elect leaders ready to put residents’ pocketbooks first and invest in the affordable clean energy Arizona needs.

Georgia Public Service Commission

States like Georgia have seen some of the largest utility bill increases in the country. Thankfully, Georgia is also a state with a publicly elected board, the Public Service Commission (PSC), that oversees their utility. Last year, after the PSC passed back to back rate hikes for Georgia residents, Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund ran their largest campaign ever to shift the balance of power on the board. The Peach State then elected two Democrats to the board for the first time in decades. Now, the state has the chance to flip control of the PSC by electing a pro-affordability majority to fight for lower rates, stand against unregulated data center development, and build more affordable clean energy. Commissioner Peter Hubbard and fellow Democratic candidate Shelia Edwards have promised to take on big utilities and data centers, and made lowering costs by investing in clean affordable energy the centerpiece of their campaign. Meanwhile, Republican candidates Josh Tolbert and former Commissioner Fitz Johnson are backed by state utility interests representing more of the same.

Legislatures

Michigan Legislature

Michigan has had environmental progress stalled repeatedly by a State House with a majority beholden to Big Polluters. The country often looks to Michigan for transportation policy, water quality innovation, and is seen as a litmus test for clean energy. Data Centers are an enormous issue in the state as well as President Trump’s endless fight to hold open the Campbell Coal plant costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars while polluting the air of nearby communities. This election will be decided by close margins for just a handful of seats and could allow the state to tackle major energy affordability and pollution issues affecting millions in Michigan and set a tone for the nation. 

Minnesota Legislature

Minnesota under Governor Walz has been a beacon for other states, continuously delivering key promises to voters. They passed a 100% clean energy mandate, EV incentives, PFAS mitigation, and protection for the Boundary Waters. Pro-environmental majorities hang in the balance. The current legislature is under a power sharing agreement in the state House since neither party has enough votes for a working majority, while the Senate has a 34-33 pro-environment majority. If they are going to make progress in line with recent years they need a serious majority ready to take action across both chambers.

Pennsylvania legislature

Republicans currently hold a four-seat majority in the state Senate while Democrats have a narrow three-seat majority in the House of Representatives. While Democrats are likely to expand their control of the State House, the path to a Senate majority is a true tossup. Winning control of both chambers would establish the first Democratic trifecta in 33 years. With Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro looking likely to be reelected, the state may finally have a legislative majority willing to take on major utilities and build out clean energy. Shapiro has made major strides to hold data centers accountable, but legislative action is needed to solidify his executive actions. In a state with significant fossil fuel production, this is an opportunity to invest in a clean energy future with new majorities.

Wisconsin Legislature

In Wisconsin, Republicans have an 18-15 majority in the state Senate, with half the seats up for reelection; Democrats only need to flip two seats to gain control of the Senate. To gain control of the state Assembly, Democrats would need to protect four seats and flip five seats in the 99-member chamber. As we mentioned in our breakdown of the Governor’s race, gerrymandering has kept majorities nearly impossible for years. But, Wisconsin finally has the chance to elect real pro-environmental majorities and join its neighbors like Minnesota and Illinois who have passed major clean energy investments.

Bonus 

Amendment 82

This fall, Colorado voters will decide whether to make a permanent, radical change to the state constitution with disastrous and far-ranging consequences. The proposed “constitutional right to natural gas” threatens to overturn the bedrock health and safety protections on which residents and workers rely. If this ballot measure passes, corporate polluters will be able to sue state and local governments over rules meant to hold them accountable, such as regulation of toxic water pollution and safe distances between gas operations and homes and schools. Colorado is a national leader on climate policy; this change would rapidly reverse hard-fought climate wins and prohibit future progress.

Amendment 82 is backed by a conservative interest group that has repeatedly violated campaign finance law by failing to disclose who funds them or how they spend their money. And they won’t stop at Colorado: if their campaign is successful, other states will follow. Conservation Colorado and other state environmental advocates have made defeating this ballot measure an imperative to protect Colorado communities, preserve the state’s clean energy momentum, and send a clear message that Colorado voters want accountability – not a constitutional guarantee for corporate polluter profits.

Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.