Power bills and data centres take centre stage in US midterms

Rising electricity bills have become a major issue in this year’s midterm elections in the United States, as voters grow angry over higher household bills and deals for power-hungry data centres, Reuters reported on 31 October.

Nationwide, home electricity prices have risen by more than 10% since 2024, according to US Energy Information Administration data, outpacing the rise in the cost of other goods and services. Bills have grown faster still in the battleground states of Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, all hot spots for new data centres, rising in some cases at triple the rate of inflation.

In Ohio, residential bills have grown by more than 20% over the past two years. Democrat Amy Acton has promised to lower energy bills if she is elected governor, and has backed a moratorium on new data centres. Her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, has said Ohioans living near data centres should not pay electricity bills at all.

In Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro pressed PECO Energy to withdraw a proposed rate increase in April. The state says the move saved 1.7 million customers $510 million, or up to $34 a month for some households. In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill won the governorship last year on a promise to freeze utility bills.

Utilities, meanwhile, are seeking record sums. They are on track to match last year’s record $31 billion in rate-increase requests, and plan nearly $1.3 trillion of capital spending over five years, according to S&P Global. Credit rating agency Fitch downgraded its outlook for the North American utility sector to “deteriorating” in June, citing political pressure in the midterms to limit bills and profits.

Why it matters

Electricity has rarely featured in American elections before, but it has now joined the cost-of-living debate that dominates the midterms. Nine state utility commission seats are up for election, and governors will be chosen in 36 states.

The outcome could reshape how utilities pay for upgrading the grid. Freezing rates would ease bills now, but the industry warns it could slow grid investment.

What happens next

Voters go to the polls on 3 November. The real test comes after the election, when winners must turn promises of rate freezes and data-centre moratoriums into decisions regulators will accept. As Charles Hua of the consumer group PowerLines told Reuters: “I do think the real meat will come after the election.”

Sources

• https://wixx.com/2026/10/31/power-bills-and-data-centers-cast-rare-spotlight-on-utilities-in-us-midterms/ (Reuters, 31 October 2026)
• https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2026-press-releases/gov-shapiro-saves-1-7m-pa-consumers–510m-on-utility-bills (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2026)
• https://www.tdworld.com/utility-business/news/55385810/fitch-ratings-mid-year-utility-outlook-revision-highlights-ratepayers-at-the-center-of-grid-expansion (T&D World, 23 June 2026)

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.