Following their major statewide wins and historic legislative victory in November, Virginia Democrats will deliver on several policy priorities in the 2026 legislative session — with affordability as issue one.

Throughout the campaign, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and the entire Democratic ticket championed lowering costs for Virginians, especially when it comes to the commonwealth’s surging electricity demand and utility costs. Virginia currently ranks 29th in the country for electricity affordability and we import more power than any other state in the nation. At the same time, our power demands are enormous. The commonwealth boasts the world’s largest data center market with 340 facilities and, if projections hold, data center construction could triple our state’s electricity demand by 2050.

If we want to continue growing our economy, create good-paying jobs and embrace technological innovations that position us as a global leader in science and technology, it can’t come at the cost of affordability and higher electricity bills.

During my time as governor, Virginia’s economy boomed. I was proud to add more than 200,000 new jobs, significantly reduce the unemployment rate, and help implement economic policies that led to personal income increasing by nearly 13%. My administration achieved these milestones because we embraced all types of energy solutions to power our economic growth. My Virginia Energy Plan acknowledged the rapidly changing energy landscape and laid out a strategy to drive innovation in energy generation by deploying diverse fuel sources, including nuclear power and natural gas, while dramatically expanding solar and offshore wind capacity and calling for state-led efficiency programs.

To help reduce overall energy consumption, I established an executive committee on energy efficiency and appointed a chief energy efficiency officer — the first state-level position of its kind in the country — to manage the planning, implementation and evaluation of energy efficiency throughout the state. This position helped my administration seize every possible opportunity to expand Virginia’s energy mix, lower costs for hardworking families and grow our economy.

I also strengthened Virginia’s natural gas supplies and energy efficiency standards by advancing legislation to expand development of natural gas infrastructure and signing the Conservation and Ratemaking Efficiency (CARE) Act into law. The CARE Act encouraged utilities to build pipelines and other infrastructure that would bring shale and coalbed methane gas to the market while keeping prices affordable for consumers. It helped reform the financial and regulatory mechanisms for natural gas utilities, delivering stronger efficiency options for Virginia consumers. These energy policies — spanning all manner of energy sources, from natural gas to solar and wind energy — helped lower utility bills and create more jobs in the commonwealth.

As our energy demand skyrockets, we must build on these efforts and there’s growing demand among Virginians for decisive action. Recent polling found that 62% of Virginia voters agree on building more natural gas plants and a majority of voters throughout the commonwealth said the price of electricity was an important factor in their vote this year, supporting a balanced approach to lower utility bills by expanding our state’s natural gas and renewable energy capacities.

New energy construction remains subject to planning, siting, permitting and building delays. But we can’t let that slow us down. Improvements to state regulatory processes that ensure safety and respect for our environment can help us move forward expeditiously to meet this critical moment and lower costs quickly.

Virginia’s unemployment rate has risen for the last eight months, and our third-quarter GDP dropped from 6.2% in 2024 to 1.7% in 2025. To keep growing Virginia’s economy, provide sufficient power to homes and businesses, and lower electricity costs, the commonwealth must diversify its energy sources — as we did when I was governor — and unlock the potential of affordable natural gas as more renewable energy sources come online. That’s the best path forward to reduce energy bills, lower the cost of living and help us successfully move toward a prosperous clean energy future.

Terry McAuliffe served as Virginia’s 72nd governor, from 2014 to 2018, and is co-chair of Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future.