A survey released Thursday by former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway reports strong backing among Trump voters for increasing solar energy production to bolster the nation’s power supply.
The polling memo, dated February 2026 and conducted by KAConsulting, LLC, on behalf of American Energy First, surveyed 1,000 registered and likely voters in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas. The mixed-mode survey reports that 83 percent of all voters and 75 percent of Trump voters agree that solar energy should be used in the United States to strengthen and increase the nation’s energy supply. The memo notes that “solar energy enjoys broad, durable, and increasingly intense public support.”
The survey found that energy concerns are closely tied to affordability and supply. Sixty-one percent of respondents said they worry their state may not have enough power to meet demand for homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals. Sixty-nine percent expressed concern about their local electric bill, including 34 percent who described themselves as very concerned. A majority, 56 percent, identified economic issues such as inflation, cost of living, and jobs as the top concern for the country, compared with 22 percent who prioritized security issues and 14 percent who prioritized social issues such as healthcare and childcare.
The poll reveals that “attitudes toward energy sources are not polarized; rather, voters are pragmatic, with a strong preference for greater supply and source variety.” Solar energy registered 73 percent favorable overall, including 62 percent of Trump voters, 75 percent of independents, and 90 percent of Democrats. Natural gas also received 73 percent favorable overall, including 83 percent of Trump voters, 69 percent of independents, and 65 percent of Democrats.
Eighty percent overall and 81 percent of Trump voters said they would be more supportive of expanding solar energy production knowing that the solar industry is working to ensure all parts used in its infrastructure are American-made to avoid security risks from countries like China.
Separately, when voters are presented with concrete facts about the energy landscape, concern intensifies dramatically. Seventy-two percent say concern increases when they learn that China is producing roughly 150 percent more electricity than the United States. Similar levels of concern are triggered by rising electricity prices at 85 percent, blackout risks and expert warnings at 83 percent, demand growth exceeding the last three decades combined at 83 percent, and turbine backlogs and aging plants at 77 percent. The memo concludes that voters in these five states view energy shortfalls as both an economic and a strategic vulnerability.
The findings come as solar manufacturing, domestic supply chains, energy affordability, and competition with China have been topics of discussion at a recent Breitbart News policy event.
On Wednesday, February 11, T1 Energy CEO Dan Barcelo told Breitbart News that American-manufactured solar can boost energy affordability and revitalize domestic manufacturing. “We don’t need to make solar panels in China and import them. We can make them in America, we can make them in Texas,” Barcelo remarked.
Barcelo discussed the pace of new solar development and how it affects electricity costs once operating on the grid. “That power is critical right now. It is the fastest to market right now. It has one of the lowest costs of development,” he stated. “And the real important part of solar is when it’s on the grid, it’s zero marginal cost. Texas, last week, half the grid midday is solar. That’s zero marginal cost.”
Furthermore, Barcelo asserted that the United States should aim to surpass China in solar manufacturing capacity. He noted that U.S. capacity is just over 50 gigawatts compared to more than 1,000 gigawatts in China and framed the moment as part of a broader effort to reclaim American leadership in energy. “America was not the number one oil producer in the world. It was Saudi. America is now. America was not the number one gas producer. That was Russia. America is now. There’s no reason that China is also the number one solar producer now. They don’t have to be. America one day can do that.”
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