Wealthy investors are escalating a political offensive against opponents of clean energy, focusing on Texas Republican Chip Roy, a key architect of President Trump’s 2022 tax bill that slashed renewable subsidies. The Clean Break Fund, co-founded by Ripple’s $500,000 donor Chris Larsen, has spent $650,000 on TV ads attacking Roy, forcing him into a primary runoff. Roy, who boasted about blocking 90% of clean energy projects post-Trump’s law, vowed to retaliate: “We got a good chunk of your subsidies removed last year. Just wait until the next go-round.”

Texas, home to the Roseland solar facility and the nation’s top wind energy producer, is ground zero. The state’s renewable sector generates over $300 million annually in taxes, yet lawmakers like Roy and State Senator Mayes Middleton have pushed bills restricting wind and solar growth. Clean energy groups argue their ads aren’t about electing pro-renewables candidates but deterring anti-industry politicians.

Polls reveal unexpected Republican support for solar: 75% of Trump voters back U.S. solar expansion, per a Kellyanne Conway-commissioned survey. Conservative figures like Newt Gingrich and Katie Miller (a former Trump aide) have amplified pro-solar messaging, with Miller noting her posts align with Elon Musk’s Tesla plans to manufacture 100 gigawatts of solar panels yearly by 2028. Industry strategists say this shift reflects a broader realization: “It’s not just the message, it’s the messengers that matter,” in today’s polarized politics.

The fight underscores the renewable sector’s struggle to adapt to Trump-era hostility. After years of lobbying against subsidy cuts, solar companies now recruit conservative allies to frame clean energy as economically vital. As Aligned Climate Capital’s Peter Davidson admits, “We got completely rolled” by the 2022 tax law—but investors like Larsen are betting big on turning the tables.