MEMO: Republicans’ Silence on Clean Energy Opens the Door for Democrats this Fall

To: Interested Parties
From: Climate Power, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), and the NRDC Action Fund
Re: Republicans’ Silence on Clean Energy in Dallas Opens the Door for Democrats this Fall
Date: September 11, 2026

Republican elected officials and candidates paraded in Dallas for the party’s midterm convention this week, an unprecedented and weird push to rally support for Trump’s allies two months before Election Day. Over two days, on a national stage, one phrase on voters’ minds never came up in any serious way: clean energy. Polling continues to show that silence on clean energy is a strategic mistake that campaigns can use to win in November.

What the Polling Shows

1. Record-high energy bills are a top-tier voting issue, and voters are blaming Republicans.  Yesterday’s reporting showed that August was tied for the hottest month ever — the hottest August ever recorded — and voters are feeling the high costs to their health and their wallets. Voter concerns about energy prices have increased 10 points since January, and voters believe President Trump (63-22%) and Republicans in Congress (58-22%) are making things worse, not better. The GOP knows this and talked about it this week, but all they did was attempt to bribe voters with a vague, maybe-someday $5,000 “dividend” check instead of addressing the $4.27 national average gas price (the highest ever this late in the year) and the record $5.97 diesel prices hitting people across the country right now. 
2. Voters are craving real solutions and clean energy is a clear winner in red districts — not just blue ones. Candidates who pair a message about building more affordable, American-made wind and solar power with an affordability agenda outperform candidates who leave clean energy out of the conversation entirely, and that advantage is just as strong in Lean and Likely Republican districts as it is anywhere else. Affordable clean energy solutions is THE message that moves persuadable voters in the exact swing and red-leaning districts that will decide control of the U.S. House.

The Deafening Dallas Silence Opens the Door…Again
A convention built around celebrating the 18 months of GOP control in Washington was always going to have an energy problem: bills have skyrocketed on their watch, and utility companies and Big Oil are raking in massive profits. But, rather than address that record or offer a real plan to bring costs down, Republican leaders and candidates used their biggest stage of the cycle to take a make-believe victory lap over “energy dominance” and make baseless attacks on clean energy while bragging about rolling back protections for the health and safety of our communities. While Trump is trying to pay off the American people with empty promises, the increased costs from his agenda are very real. And voters are paying the costs of Trump’s agenda while Big Polluters continue to make massive profits. Democrats now have a renewed open door to drive this contrast:

Two Ways Candidates and Campaigns Can Make the Contrast

1. Use their own words and actions against them. Republican leaders insist prices will come down “any day now” while doubling down on the failed policies that got us to this point, and embracing an energy plan that has canceled hundreds of domestic energy projects, even as demand is growing exponentially and bills are through the roof. Compare their record and statements to a kitchen-table energy plan focused on reducing bills and getting more cheaper, cleaner energy online immediately.
2. Make them own the record and their rhetoric. Republicans promised to bring down the cost of living immediately upon taking full control of Washington. Instead, electricity prices are up roughly 16 percent and gas prices are up 40 percent. Now, Republicans are working to block cheaper, cleaner power from renewable energy sources that could bring down bills faster.

Winning in November
Energy affordability and energy bills are near the top of what voters say will decide their vote this fall, and voters are already blaming Republicans in power. However, for Democratic candidates to maximize that advantage, they must talk about the real solutions that resonate with people. Blaming the GOP will only get you so far when voters are demanding action. Clean energy is the cheapest and fastest way to build new energy at a time we need it most – and voters understand and want this solution. 

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