01 · Your bill
Three kinds of charges, and candidates are promising to change all of them
Most electric bills combine three things. When a candidate says they'll lower your bill, it helps to know which one they mean.
What's on your bill
Delivery
What your utility charges to run the poles and wires. State regulators approve these rates.
Electricity price
The cost of the power itself, set through auctions and regional energy markets.
Taxes and fees
Charges added on top of the bill, such as state taxes and program fees.
02 · Illinois
Prices depend on your utility, and the incumbent signed a new grid law in January
Electricity prices are holding steady for some Illinois utilities and coming down for others.
What each candidate says they would change
Darren Bailey
Would freeze new utility rate increases.
Says Illinois needs more power generation, from green energy to small nuclear reactors.
JB Pritzker
Signed a grid law in January that adds grid-scale batteries and requires utilities to help customers lower their bills.
03 · Maine
Prices are rising, and one candidate wants to change how Maine buys its power
Electricity prices are rising across Maine. The seat is open.
What each candidate says they would change
Rick Bennett
Would appoint utility regulators to review and lower the profits utilities are guaranteed.
Would create a state authority to own renewable energy and storage.
Bobby Charles
Would negotiate completion of two natural gas pipelines, back small nuclear reactors, and oppose subsidies for renewable power.
Hannah Pingree
Would reform the standard offer, the default electricity price about 90% of Maine homes and small businesses pay, to get the “least cost” supply.
Would oppose “excessive rate hikes” from Central Maine Power and Versant Power.
04 · Massachusetts
Prices are steady, and part of last winter's rate cut is being paid back
Little change is expected for most of the Massachusetts utilities we track.
What each candidate says they would change
Maura Healey
Cut residential electric rates 25% for February and March. State money covered most of that cut. The rest was deferred and is being added back to bills from April through December.
Wants an energy affordability bill passed. The House and Senate passed different versions, and negotiators had not reached a deal as of early October.
Mike Minogue
Would cut taxes and utility fees.
Would invest in natural gas pipelines and newer nuclear energy, and repeal the state's 2050 net-zero requirement.
05 · New Hampshire
Prices depend on your utility, in a race between the governor and a former executive councilor
Electricity prices are coming down for some New Hampshire utilities and going up for others.
What each candidate says they would change
Kelly Ayotte
Nominated a new chair of the Public Utilities Commission, with affordability as a “top priority,” her office says.
Has called on utilities to return more than $150 million to New Hampshire customers, part of a $1.5 billion transmission refund federal regulators ordered across New England.
Cinde Warmington
Would temporarily halt large-scale data centers by executive order on her first day.
Is updating her net-zero energy plan, which includes investing in renewable energy. In July, NH Journal reported the plan had no price tag.
06 · Ohio
Prices are rising, and the next governor appoints the regulators
Electricity prices are rising across Ohio. The seat is open, and whoever wins will appoint the state's utility regulators as their terms expire.
What each candidate says they would change
Amy Acton
Would appoint utility regulators focused on consumer costs, with tough oversight so utilities “don't just pad profits through higher rates.”
Would join other governors in demanding that PJM, the regional grid operator, reform to lower costs.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Says homes in a zone around a new data center would no longer pay for their electricity. The plan leaves the size of that zone to state law, and parts of it would need approval from PJM.
07 · Pennsylvania
Prices are rising, and both candidates are promising relief on the bill
Electricity prices are rising across Pennsylvania.
What each candidate says they would change
Stacy Garrity
Would eliminate the state's 5.9% gross receipts tax on electricity, which utilities pass on to customers. The state's Independent Fiscal Office estimates that would save the average residential customer $143 a year.
Would intervene against utility rate increases she disagrees with, and require bills to follow a standard format so rates are easier to compare.
Josh Shapiro
Would create a state program that makes power plants pay to emit carbon and returns 70% of the money to customers as electric bill rebates. Parts of his energy plan have passed the House but have not advanced in the Senate.
Sued PJM, the regional grid operator, and won a settlement that capped prices in one of its power auctions. The cap has since been extended.
08 · Rhode Island
Prices are steady, and both candidates are taking on the utility
Little change is expected in electricity prices across Rhode Island. The seat is open, and three independents are also on the ballot: Ken Block, Jasjit Gotra and C.D. Reynolds.
What each candidate says they would change
Helena Foulkes
Would audit Rhode Island Energy to make sure proposed rate increases are warranted.
Would address the backlog of renewable projects waiting to connect to the grid, and fund solar and battery storage for homes, small businesses, and 250 schools and public buildings.
Aaron Guckian
Called Rhode Island Energy's winter rate plan “absolutely insane” when he launched his campaign last December.
Would replace the state's renewable energy requirements with what he calls “practical clean energy.”
How we made this
Candidates are listed alphabetically. Their plans come from campaign sites and news coverage, linked under each state. The direction of electricity prices in each state is Arbor's general outlook as of October 2026 for the standard price utilities charge households that haven't picked a supplier.