The big story most New Jerseyans still don’t know about – but will soon – is an onslaught of massive electric bill increases set to take effect June 1st throughout the Garden State. Residential ratepayers (you and me) can expect to see average increases ranging between 17% and 20% per month depending upon whether your utility is JCP&L, PSEG or Atlantic City Electric.
It’s also a gubernatorial election year, and the two major parties’ respective frontrunners went to battle on X this week over the variables driving the looming increases which will kick in right as temperatures rise and New Jerseyans begin to turn on their air conditioning units for the summer season.
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (the Democrat) is pointing her finger at everyone except for the all-Democrat state governing majority that’s been in place for eight years.
“[T]he influence of big oil and gas is driving up our costs, and contrary to popular belief, we don’t actually have to choose between clean energy and cheap energy,” Sherrill tweeted, adding in her multi-post thread her contention that “Republicans like @Jack4NJ are trying to blame our high utility bills on our pursuit of clean energy. Don’t be fooled.”
Ciattarelli responded in kind, dismissing Sherrill’s narrative as “crap” and noting that Sherrill “endorsed Phil Murphy’s obsession with offshore wind farms and his foolish opposition to clean natural gas and nuclear.”
What Sherrill left out of her own analysis (aside from the fallacy that green energy sources like wind are practical and green): the cost of pursuing Governor Murphy’s electrification mandates has been estimated to cost $65 billion.
This is absurd. Please tell me you don’t actually think anyone believes this crap.
FACT: Our electric bills are going up because people like @MikieSherrill endorsed Phil Murphy’s obsession with offshore wind farms and his foolish opposition to clean natural gas and nuclear. https://t.co/gvnoebHDG7
— Jack Ciattarelli (@Jack4NJ) April 23, 2025
Here’s something worth noting about the exchange:
Sherrill’s X thread on rising electric bill costs wasn’t in response to anything in particular. Her social media squad brought it up, unprompted, and decided to take aim specifically at Ciattarelli.
What it tells you? (1) Her campaign believes Ciattarelli is the most likely GOP nominee, and (2) she knows that the Murphy Administration’s dominant role in catalyzing surging energy costs is a potential anchor around Democrats’ legs (including her own) this upcoming November.
Save Jersey was the first to report back in March on an internal Assembly Democrat talking points memo which encouraged members to deflect blame from themselves onto others, including Governor Murphy and PJM. The entire Assembly is on the ballot this fall, too, right below the governor on the ballot. Just today, Murphy signed a purely cosmetic Democrat bill requiring utility companies to disclose usage statistics to ratepayers.
