Voters Changed Who Holds Power. Now That Power Must Deliver.
The election changed who holds power. Our work, together, is to ensure that power delivers real improvements in people’s lives. Just Solutions and our partners have been preparing for this moment.
On Tuesday, voters across the country sent a clear message: the status quo is not working. Families are struggling with rising costs, communities are facing growing threats to their health and safety, and too many people feel that government serves powerful corporations rather than the people it is supposed to represent. Voters stepped up and changed the balance of Congress, reshaped state governments, and in doing so created new opportunities for action and accountability. Now the real test is whether that power delivers real improvements in people’s lives.
Just Solutions has been preparing for this moment.
Through ClimateMAX, a table we facilitate of nearly 30 national public interest organizations, we have been preparing a plan for a new Congress to investigate, legislate, and communicate that they can address peoples’ concerns, like energy bills, health and pollution, and safety from disasters, and sustain political momentum.
The work builds on our nonpartisan electoral Field Guide that we created last summer to help voters raise concerns about energy costs, pollution, and climate impacts with candidates for public office, turning those concerns into concrete policy questions and setting expectations for how officials should govern once elected.
In the coming weeks, we will continue working with our state and national partners to advance policy solutions and strategies that become meaningful government action. Through ClimateMAX, we’ll be convening a webinar series making sense of the new state and federal landscape and exploring how advocates can respond. Register for the first of these webinars, The Next Two Years, here.
The Field Guide is just one example of Just Solutions’ commitment to community-led policy adoption. We also partner with state climate justice coalitions in over 15 states to develop actionable policy recommendations on energy affordability and frameworks for stronger environmental protection and accountability, all while strengthening the capacity of advocates and policymakers to turn those solutions into lasting change. We focus on states because they make consequential decisions every day about how costs, benefits, and burdens are shared.
The 2026 elections changed the landscape in which those decisions will be made. For example, in Georgia, voters elected a new majority of the Public Service Commission, creating new opportunities to address rising utility costs and strengthen accountability over decisions affecting household energy bills. And in Texas, voters elected a new Railroad Commissioner (which, despite its name, regulates the oil & gas industry, not railroads) who could bring greater scrutiny to energy policy, oil and gas regulation, and environmental enforcement. Similar opportunities are emerging across the country.
With these opportunities, the next two years cannot be an exercise in waiting for the next election. States can act through legislation, regulation, and investment, while Congress can strengthen oversight of federal environmental and energy policy and direct funding. Making the most of this moment requires bold and just policy priorities, organized communities, and sustained public accountability. Just Solutions and our partners have been building that foundation, movement infrastructure, and just solutions needed to hit the ground running.
The election changed who holds power. Our work, together, is to ensure that power delivers real improvements in people’s lives.
