In the backrooms of state politics, few races draw less attention than battles for public utilities commission seats—but Georgia voters just proved that when your electric bill climbs steeply enough, anything becomes front-page news. Last year, frustrated by soaring rates, Georgians ousted two Republican members of the Public Service Commission for the first time in decades, and now Democrats have a genuine shot at flipping control of the five-member body that regulates power companies across the state, most notably Georgia Power, which serves roughly 2.7 million customers.
The stakes could hardly be higher. The Public Service Commission approves rate hikes, shapes long-term energy planning, and determines how utilities recover costs from households. Republicans have held every seat on the commission for years, but that dominion is cracking. In last year's election, Alicia M. Johnson and Peter Hubbard became the first Democrats elected to statewide office in Georgia since 2006—Johnson won a full six-year term, while Hubbard claimed a temporary one-year seat and is now fighting for reelection to a full term.
The second open seat belonged to Republican Tricia Pridemore, who is stepping down to run for Congress. Democrat Shelia Edwards secured her party's nomination this week, positioning herself to face a Republican runoff winner. Edwards, who previously served as executive director of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus and as district director for former U.S. Rep. David Scott, ran for this same seat in 2022 before that race was canceled due to voting-rights litigation. Her campaign zeroes in on a reality millions of Georgians feel in their wallets: since her first run in 2022, Georgia Power customers have absorbed rate increases exceeding 40 percent, tied to fuel costs, storm recovery, grid investments, and the completion of the Vogtle nuclear plant expansion.
The human toll is staggering. According to Georgia Power's 2025 Bad Debt Report, nearly 280,000 customers experienced shutoffs for nonpayment—roughly ten times the industry average. "I'm running to be the third vote on the PSC and to work with Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson," Edwards said during an April debate. "Georgians deserve better in terms of constant rate increases."
That third Democratic vote matters tremendously. A 3-2 Democratic majority would reshape how the commission operates, making decisions by majority vote that could genuinely constrain utility power. To achieve that, Edwards must win in November while Hubbard defeats his Republican opponent, former commissioner Fitz Johnson.
Hubbard, founder of the Georgia Center for Energy Solutions, has already signaled his priorities. Earlier this year, he voted to reconsider Georgia Power's proposal to expand generating capacity by roughly 10 gigawatts, much of it fueled by natural gas and driven by projected demand growth from data centers. Both Hubbard and Edwards have called for stronger oversight of the data center industry and criticized tax incentives offered to it—a position that polls show resonates with Georgia voters. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey found 76 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans said they would oppose data centers being built in their communities.
These November races represent something genuinely rare in utilities politics: a moment when ordinary voters recognized their power and used it, and when candidates are responding with concrete pledges to reckon with the rising cost of electricity itself.