Democrats’ division over climate politics seemed to be narrowing this month, after a pair of moderates romped to victory in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races by weaving clean energy into an affordability pitch.
That unity lasted about a week. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro helped tear it back open.
The Democratic rising star cut a deal to end his state’s four-month budget stalemate: In exchange for Republicans supporting about $2 billion in additional spending, Pennsylvania would drop its yearslong effort to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the cap-and-trade system covering the electricity sectors of 10 states.
The move was widely read as a sign that Democrats might continue to sideline climate, both electorally and in office. Shapiro is viewed as a possible 2028 presidential candidate — particularly because of his popularity in a swing state that is the second-largest U.S. source of natural gas.
