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During his Election Day victory speech this week, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens took a moment to acknowledge some of the other candidates who also just won their races. “For those of you who don't know why everyone is so excited right now, the new Civil Service Commission, the PSC races were the first domino to fall for the Republicans,” Dickens said.
Safe · No tax deduction · Takes 45 seconds
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Georgia voters delivered a resounding Democratic victory this week, replacing two Republicans on the Public Service Commission, the body that has final say on how Georgia Power, the state's largest utility, produces electricity and what it charges for it. In Atlanta and other parts of the state, voters, many upset about rising utility bills, have turned their attention to racial disparities that have traditionally been misunderstood and ignored.
In the end, Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard unseated Republican incumbents Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson by wide margins, both with about 63 percent of the vote. Johnson and Hubbard flipped several counties that voted for President Trump by wide margins in 2020 and 2024. The results could impact energy bills, climate and future elections, as many observers see it as a factor in next year's gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections.
Georgia State University political scientist Tammy Greer interprets the results as showing that voters cared more about energy bills and data centers than party loyalty.
“When civic education is explained in terms of how these positions impact everyday life, when we move beyond the rhetoric and into real education, perhaps there will be a shift in the way the electorate votes,” Greer said. “These messages reached rural voters, and some of them made different choices.”
The current five commissioners — all Republicans — have approved six increases in customers' electricity bills over the past three years and now oversee Georgia Power's plans to meet growing energy demand from data centers, mostly from natural gas. Republicans will still have a 3-2 majority when the commission's new members take office in January. But that doesn't mean new commissioners can't change policy, experts say.
“Many of the issues the commission considers are not inherently partisan because they generally make decisions based on fair and reasonable rates, affordability and reliability based on their statutory authority,” said Charles Hua, founder of the utility advocacy group PowerLines. “I would be surprised if we see this commission making only partisan decisions going forward.”
Next year, the commission must cover the cost of fuel and damage from Hurricane Helen. Georgia Power could request a significant increase in customer bills to cover these costs, although earlier this year company representatives stated rates may remain the same or even decrease. What the commission does beyond those priorities will depend on its chairman, who sets the schedule and determines what issues the commission considers. With a Republican majority, the chairman will likely continue to be a Republican, said Kathy Southworth of the Clean Energy Buyers Association, a longtime liaison to the Georgia PSC and other utility commissions around the country.
“We can't say with certainty that the vote will go 3-2 every time,” Southworth said. “The interpersonal dynamics, policy priorities of each commissioner and the specific lenses through which they view things will influence their vote.” Southworth also emphasized that how well commission members get along with each other is usually a key factor in the performance of the commission as a whole.
Significant changes to Georgia Power's energy bills and energy mix, which still consists primarily of planet-warming fossil fuels. greenhouse gasesis likely to be slow, even with commissioners running across party lines.
But two documents that will spell out how Georgia Power will produce and deliver electricity and what it will charge for it — the integrated resource plan and rate justification — won't be submitted to the commission for review and approval until 2028. With two more elections between now, there could be even more changes to the commission's composition.
One of the new commission members, Peter Hubbard, was only elected for one year, so he faces re-election next year. Current Commissioner Trisha Primore, a Republican, is also up for re-election in 2026.
It will probably be a completely different election. Unlike this year, when the PSC was the only statewide race, next year Georgians will vote for a new governor, a seat in the U.S. Senate, and seats in both the state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. These races are already attracting national attention and investment. Georgia has established itself as a swing state, voting narrowly for Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024, giving Democrats a Senate majority in 2020. The party's hopes of regaining control of the Senate could likely hinge on Georgia again in 2026. Power bills and other fiscal issues may still be top of mind for many voters, Greer said, meaning both parties could learn a lot from Tuesday's events. results.
“It will be interesting to see what framework Democrats put in place to try to capitalize on this,” she said. “And what framework is the Republican Party doing to try to mitigate what happened?”
WABE's Rahul Bali contributed to this story.
