Among the Democratic victories in Tuesday’s elections were wins by two candidates for an obscure board in Georgia. The elections to the commission that sets utility prices have drawn unusual attention because of a years-long delay over a lawsuit about racial bias and a decisive victory for each of the two Democratic candidates. The results may have implications for Georgia’s important congressional races next year.
Democrats win on a platform of lowering energy costs
Democratic candidates won special elections for two seats on Georgia’s Public Service Commission, the board that regulates the prices of utilities such as electricity and gas in the state. Alicia Johnson, Ph.D., defeated incumbent Republican Tim Echols for the role of commissioner of District 2, while Peter Hubbard won against incumbent Republican Fitz Johnson in District 3. Both Johnson and Hubbard won overwhelming victories; each received over 60% of the vote in their respective elections. Both victories come three years after Republican Gov. Brian Kemp won reelection in the state, defeating challenger Stacey Abrams, and one year after President Donald Trump won against Vice President Kamala Harris, flipping the state that narrowly voted for former President Joe Biden in 2020.
Johnson released a statement saying, “This victory isn’t just mine, it’s ours. It’s for the single mother choosing between groceries and her power bill, the senior trying to keep the lights on, and the young voter who showed up believing that their voice matters.”
Meanwhile, Hubbard said in his statement, “Affordability is front and center in voters’ minds, and today they overwhelmingly said they’re tired of subsidizing corporate interests at the expense of their families.” Hubbard also pledged, “I will work tirelessly to lower utility costs, to bring more clean, reliable energy resources to this state, and to refocus the Commission’s work on the public interest.”
Victories for Democrats after key losses in recent years
No Democrat has served on the commission since 2007, and only one Black person has served on the commission since 1906. That was the year in which the process of choosing commissioners was switched to a statewide at-large system. Although each of the five seats on the board represents a particular geographic district within Georgia, all of the commissioner elections are decided by statewide votes. A lawsuit filed by Black voters in 2020 alleged that this system was racially biased, essentially disenfranchising Black voters by diluting the power of their vote. Although the challenge to the system ultimately lost, the case delayed elections to the commission for several years, leading to Tuesday’s special elections to fill two of the board’s five seats.
Despite the potential for bias in the electoral system, two Democrats — including a Black woman — won overwhelmingly. Both parties approached the race as a potential precursor to next year’s elections in Georgia, which will include votes for the state’s governor and general assembly, as well as contests for Georgia’s representatives to the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Jon Ossoff. Kemp and other Republicans campaigned in this year’s commissioner races, but elections held in Atlanta may have helped to drive out Democratic turnout for Tuesday’s vote.
For Georgians, Tuesday’s vote represents a chance to lower electricity prices that have risen in recent years, and the two winning Democrats have pledged to work to make that happen. But the unexpected and surprisingly large victories also make Democrats hopeful and Republicans nervous about next year’s races and the overall direction of Georgia, which has emerged as a critical swing state in a bitterly divided national political landscape.