Duke Energy’s Political Donations Pay Off Through Rate Hikes (Queen City Nerve)
Duke Energy recently reported profits of $4.9 billion for 2025. These profits are up $400 million from the previous year. In July 2025, Gov. Josh Stein vetoed Senate Bill 266, called The Power Bill Reduction Act. That veto was overridden by lawmakers before the end of the month, with the help of Charlotte-area Democrats Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed, both of whom have seen thousands of dollars — and in Cunningham’s cases, tens of thousands — in donations from Duke Energy Corp PAC. Shannon Binns, executive director of environmental advocacy group Sustain Charlotte, called the vote an “out-of-touch decision.”