Georgia Democrats overwhelmingly beat GOP incumbents in two races for statewide utility regulation

ATLANTA (AP) — Two Democrats beat Republican incumbents in Georgia Public Service Commission elections Tuesday, delivering the largest statewide margin of victory for Democrats in more than 20 years.

The victories of Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson over Republicans Fitz Johnson and Tim Echols mark the first time Democrats have won a statewide election for statewide office in Georgia since 2006. The victories could boost fundraising and enthusiasm for Democrats next year, when Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s re-election bid and an open governor’s race top the ballot in Georgia.

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Hubbard and Johnson each won nearly 63% of the vote in complete but unofficial results compiled by the Georgia Secretary of State. The results do not become official until they are certified, and the participation rate in the presidential elections that took place last year did not exceed 30%. But such big victories in a swing state, where Democrats have managed only narrow victories, suggest that discontent over rising electricity bills could be a powerful political issue nationwide.

“The people of Georgia came out in great force and said, ‘You know what? We’re not taking this anymore,'” said Charlie Bailey, chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party. “We are ready to turn the page on 22 years of Republican rule in our state that has made the American Dream less achievable now than it was 22 years ago.”

Strong electricity bills

Georgia wasn’t the only state where electricity prices became a political issue this year. It has been discussed in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Nationally, electricity prices for residential consumers rose 5.2% from July 2024 to July 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“I think we won decisively this election, flipping two seats to Democrats on the Republican-majority Public Service Commission because they didn’t focus on the people in the decision-making process,” Hubbard told The Associated Press, saying commissioners were “validating” the plans of Georgia Power, the state’s only privately owned utility.

The Georgia Public Service Commission was made up of five Republicans, and the three-member GOP majority will remain after Hubbard and Alicia Johnson take office in January.

“Georgia Power has always worked constructively with the elected members of the Georgia Public Service Commission, and we will continue to do so,” company spokesman Matthew Kent said.

Alicia Johnson will become the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Georgia. Many black women won nonpartisan elections to statewide courts after being appointed by state governors.

Environmental groups supported Democrats

Environmental groups led by Georgia’s conservation voters spent more than $3 million to elect Hubbard, a green energy advocate, and Johnson, a health care consultant, because they see the current commission as too friendly to utility plans to continue burning climate-changing fossil fuels to generate power.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other Republicans pledged to spend millions of their own money, urging Republicans to reject green energy and vote loyal to the party. The GOP sees Tuesday’s results as a fluke, prompted by an unusual off-year election following a lawsuit that took place at a time when elections in Atlanta and other cities drew Democrats to the polls.

“Voters chose a different direction in this election, but I am certain that the basic policies Democrats are offering do not reflect the preferences of the majority of Georgians,” said Fitz Johnson, who Kemp appointed to the committee in 2021. Hubbard should run for reelection in 2026 and FitzJohnson has pledged to challenge him next year.

Hubbard pledged to take aggressive action to lower interest rates next year.

“I intend to ask Georgia Power tough questions about why they continually strive to do what is profitable for their shareholders,” Hubbard said.

Focus on costs causes Democrats to explode

Echols said Democrats were effective in appealing to voters unhappy with the bill increase from Georgia Power, which serves 2.3 million customers. The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. has raised bills six times in recent years due to rising natural gas costs and construction projects, including two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle plant near Augusta. The typical residential customer now pays Georgia Power more than $175 a month, including taxes.

“I think Democrats did a really good job of focusing everything on this energy bill,” Echols, who has served on the committee since 2011, said in an election night webcast.

Republicans have touted the three-year freeze on key interest rates they passed in July. They tried to flip the cost argument, claiming Democrats would try to close natural gas plants, raise energy bills with environmental mandates, and unfairly subsidize poor customers.

Ed McIlvaine of Stone Mountain said he supports Republican incumbents. “I wanted someone who knew what they were doing,” McIlvaine said.

But even some voters who are not Georgia Power customers voted Tuesday to express their displeasure.

“I’ve heard a lot of bad things about Georgia Power,” said Angela Ford, also of Stone Mountain. You get electricity from a cooperative society.

The scope of the Republican defeat was astonishing. Turnout lagged in key Republican areas during early voting. GOP hopes for a comeback rose as turnout rose on Election Day, but Democrats scored a landslide victory among those who voted on Tuesday as well. They have made deep inroads into Republican territory, for example, winning the District of Columbia suburb of Augusta, which Trump carried 62% to 37% last year.

Associated Press writer Charlotte Cramon contributed to this report.