Did energy prices break MAGA?

Energy is at the center of one of the biggest political swings in a generation. Two years ago, Trump rode into Washington with a powerful MAGA coalition. He promised, among many things, to dismantle woke energy and cut utility bills in half. But the midterm elections cracked that coalition wide open. Democrats flipped the House and Senate by historic margins, won governor's races in Texas, Ohio, and Georgia, and made inroads at public utility commissions. Trump’s “energy dominance” strategy did not move voters who feel angry and restless about spiraling energy costs, an unpopular war, massive data centers, and erratic trade policy. And now Democrats have more control over energy infrastructure decisions in the years ahead. This week, Jane Flegal of the Searchlight Institute joins us to tackle some of the biggest storylines in the aftermath: data centers, utility political power, state policy, and the next set of fights in Washington. We’ll start in Texas and Ohio, where data centers played an outsized role in the election. What happens to the market when the two most important states for AI infrastructure pull back? Then we dig into the impacts on utilities. Democrats won a majority on Georgia’s Public Service Commission, Michigan voters banned utility political spending, and key states for load growth are now under full Democratic control. How can utilities earn back trust? Finally, we’ll look ahead to the permitting bill headed for a Senate vote. Will Democrats support the bill, or find a way to delay it until they regain power in Congress? Open Circuit is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub works with more than 230 utilities to coordinate over 2.6 million DERs and more than 3.6 gigawatts of dispatchable flexibility through a single platform designed to perform when it counts most. See what that looks like at EnergyHub.com. Open Circuit is brought to you by Giving Green. Giving Green researches the climate nonprofits best positioned for the next big climate win, and sends 100% of every dollar donated to the Giving Green Fund to them. Make your first gift before 2027, and it’s matched up to $500. Go to GivingGreen.earth/Circuit or select Open Circuit at checkout. Open Circuit is brought to you by Everyday Electric. Everyday Electric simplifies savings at home, helping support a more reliable, affordable grid. Operating the country’s largest residential VPP, it coordinates 6+ GW of capacity across connected products. Learn more at everydayelectric.com.