6 States That Could Suffer the Most From a Harris Presidency

With the presidential election upon us, many voters are focusing on whether it is better for them if Donald Trump wins again or if Vice President Kamala Harris secures her first term in office. The truth is that some states as a whole may face more significant challenges than others if Harris wins due to potential fluctuations in economic, environmental and federal funding priorities.

GOBankingRates examined six states that could suffer the most from a Harris presidency, drawing on her statements on the current campaign trail along with the Biden administration’s policies.

You may not realize that Wyoming is the top coal-producing state. In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Wyoming produced 41% of total U.S. coal production and 73% of coal mined in the Western coal region. Further, seven of the top ten U.S. coal-producing mines are in Wyoming, and all are surface mines.

Members of the coal industry are among those carefully watching the presidential race. Given the Biden administration’s focus on green and renewable energy, and Harris seeming to continue on that path if she becomes President, Wyoming may be among the states that could suffer the most from a Harris presidency.

Here’s another state that could potentially suffer more than others from a Harris presidency. Kentucky is also among the top five coal-producing states.

Kentucky is a deep-red state where more liberal policies from Harris may not play well with more conservative Southern voters. Given the record of the Biden administration and what Harris has said on the campaign trail, she would likely focus on policies such as support for high-tech and green industries, climate action and social justice.

This is one the top crude oil-producing states in the U.S. According to the EIA, New Mexico produced more than 13% of total U.S. crude oil production in 2022. Harris’ likely focus on renewable and green energy could potentially hurt states like New Mexico, but other expected policies of hers could as well.

In New Mexico, where recent polls show voters are especially concerned about the economy, Harris could potentially send federal funding away from states that produce crude oil to others like California that focus more on alternative energy efficiency.

Just behind New Mexico for crude oil production is North Dakota. The state produced nearly 9% of total U.S. crude oil production in 2022.

Beyond the potential impacts of a Harris presidency on crude oil production, there’s another hot-button issue at play in North Dakota. The state is one where abortion is banned, minus a few exceptions. Harris has made it clear that abortion and reproductive rights are among her top priorities. Per Time, “As Vice President, she condemned the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — and became the White House’s leading voice on reproductive health rights.”

Let’s look at a state impacted by the production of natural gas. Louisiana is among the top five natural gas-producing states. According to the EIA, it produced nearly 10% of the total U.S. natural gas production in 2022.

As Politico has reported, Harris has faced tough questions about her views on energy production and fracking, which is a method used to extract oil and natural gas. Harris’s campaign has said she won’t ban fracking if she wins the White House. However, for a state like Louisiana, other policies that focus on alternative energies could hurt the economy.

The final state on our list of those that could suffer the most from a Harris presidency is Oklahoma. Again, this is one of the top natural gas-producing states in America. 

It’s also one of the nation’s largest producers of crude oil. In fact, according to the EIA, “The benchmark price in the domestic spot market for the U.S. crude oil known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is set at Cushing, Oklahoma, which is home to about 14% of the nation’s commercial crude oil storage capacity.”

It’s clear why this is a state that could potentially suffer if Harris is elected president and continues to focus on high-tech and green industries, along with areas like climate action and social justice.

Editor’s note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.