The Sconi

Scott Walker, the former governor of Wisconsin, has attributed rising energy prices to policies implemented by Democratic-led states. He specifically called on California Governor Gavin Newsom to address the challenges faced by his state. Walker's comments were made on the social media platform X.

"Blue states like Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island are driving high energy costs," said Scott K Walker. "Radical policies are making energy unaffordable for hardworking Americans. As usual, Gavin Newsom should focus on fixing his state."

According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. residential electricity rates in 2025 are increasing due to several factors, including rising fuel costs, significant utility investments in grid upgrades, and growing demand from artificial intelligence data centers. Regulators are currently debating how to distribute billions in new transmission and reserve capacity costs between technology firms and ordinary households. There are proposals suggesting that tech companies should pay minimum charges even for unused grid space. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has noted that retail electricity prices have risen faster than inflation since 2022 and are expected to continue increasing into 2026.

Nationally, the EIA reports that the average residential electricity price reached 17.47 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in May 2025, up from 15.95 cents per kWh in January 2025. This represents a 9.5% increase over five months, highlighting the growing energy burden on households. The agency emphasizes that these monthly figures are preliminary but represent the most current measure of retail pricing trends in the United States.

A partisan divide is evident in state electricity prices: EIA data for May 2025 show that the five most expensive residential states—Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island—all governed by Democratic trifectas—averaged 33.33 cents per kWh. In contrast, the five cheapest states—Idaho, Utah, Montana, Oklahoma, and Missouri—all Republican trifectas—averaged 12.66 cents per kWh. This data reveals a significant price gap between high-cost and low-cost clusters.

Walker served as Wisconsin’s governor from 2011 to 2019 after holding office as Milwaukee County executive and a state legislator. He ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 and is known for Act 10, which curtailed collective bargaining rights. On energy issues, he opposed the Obama-era Clean Power Plan by ordering agencies not to comply with it and supported restrictions on wind energy siting.