A guide to swing-state energy politics ahead of US midterms
USO•Households in eight key US swing states are spending $50 to $60 more per month on electricity and gasoline than a year ago, as combined costs rose 13% to 17% in the first seven months of 2026. Rising energy bills could weigh on voters ahead of the midterms, though state officials have limited control over many of the price drivers.
1. Household costs climb
The average US household spent about $456 a month on electricity and gasoline combined in the first seven months of 2026, about $54 more than a year earlier. Monthly costs rose by $42 in Wisconsin, $50 in Michigan, $51 in Georgia, $59 in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, $60 in Ohio, $61 in Nevada and $62 in Arizona.
2. Fuel and power pressures
Gasoline spending in the swing states rose 19% to 23% in the first nine months of the year, with the article citing disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz after the US war with Iran began on February 28. Residential electricity bills in the eight states rose an average of about 7% year over year, while Pennsylvania's average bill reached about $182 a month, up 12% from last year and 58% since 2019.
3. Politics and energy costs
Electricity rates are generally approved by state regulators, while wholesale power costs are shaped by regional grid operators and gasoline prices largely reflect global crude markets. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 78% of Americans blamed President Donald Trump's policies for price increases outpacing their earnings; 77% of people polled earlier in the year cited higher electricity costs as a chief reason for opposing data centers.
