The climate movement won big this election! From Georgia to New York, the climate and progressive movement won important elections down ballot that set up local legislatures to act on climate and tackle the high costs of energy. Voters sent a strong message: they not only are ready to repudiate the Trump MAGA agenda, but want to see leaders who are confronting energy affordability head on as part of the solutions to the climate crisis.

In the months leading up to the election, Lead Locally evaluated hundreds of campaigns and made critical investments in races where climate action was on the line. Here are our top line victories.

Virginia has elected a climate trifecta in a historic blue wave! 

Democrats won a full trifecta by electing Abigail Spanberger as Governor and expanding their majority in the Assembly by 13 seats, running a campaign promising to lower energy costs, regulate the state’s utility Dominion’s political contributions, and tackle reckless data center growth. Virginia is one of the fastest growing regions for data centers in the whole world; voters have sent a clear message that they do not want their utility bills to pay for data centers or to rollback progress on clean energy. With 13 seats flipped red to blue, Democrats increased their majority in the House of Delegates from 51 to 64, and of those candidates, Lead Locally organized to elect 11 of them.

Georgia voters choose two climate champs for their Public Service Commission!

Georgia has elected 2 Democratic climate champions (Dr Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard) to their Public Service Commission, sending a rebuke to the Trump administration that voters want clean energy and affordable utility rates! This is a critical shift on the Commission after the current commissioners raised rates 6 times and pulled back support for critical clean energy projects. The fight isn’t over – the Georgia PSC heads back to the polls next year and again in 2028. We can win climate majorities through these elections that can ensure fair rates for Georgians, and ensure the state is on a path to 100% clean energy. 

Zohran Mamdani has made history as New York City’s new 34 year old, Muslim socialist mayor!

Mamdani ran on a clear platform that centered climate justice with demands to make public transit “fast and free”, to ensure the city’s buildings are healthy and powered by clean energy, and that the city leads on clean energy development. During NYC Climate Week, Lead Locally PAC hosted the largest grassroots fundraiser for the official Zohran Mandani Super PAC, bringing together over 400 people to raise $20,000 for New Yorkers for Lower Costs, and lifting up Mamdani’s ambitious vision as the sort of leadership we need to see in cities across the country. Zohran’s win also sends a clear rebuke to the Democratic establishment like his opponent Andrew Cuomo: Democratic voters want younger, impassioned leaders with bold, new plans to make their lives and cities more affordable. We need leaders like Zohran in every city who will make our lives, utilities, and housing affordable and climate friendly. 

Across these campaigns, Lead Locally knocked over 15,000 doors, made nearly 100,000 calls to voters, and a quarter million from grassroots donors to help these candidates win.