Democrats Keisha Sean Waites and Peter Hubbard Advance to Runoff for Seat on Georgia Public Service Commission
Elections for the commission will occur this year following litigation-driven delays.
The Democratic and Republican primaries occurred today in Georgia to select candidates for two seats on the Public Service Commission. The 5-member organization regulates telecommunications, transportation, electric and natural gas services in the state.
Notably, this marks the first elections for the Public Service Commission in five years. Following the 2020 elections, litigation challenged the way in which commissioners were elected. The commission is divided into five directs - with each commissioner needing to reside in one of them. However, the elections are conducted statewide. The lawsuit challenged that method as a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. After years of arguments, the statewide election method was allowed to continue.
Due to the delays in elections, the terms of the current commissioners were extended until new elections could be scheduled. The Georgia state legislature approved a new plan. Districts 2 and 3 will face special elections this year, with their regularly scheduled elections for six-year terms in 2030 and 2026, respectively. Meanwhile, Districts 1, 4, and 5 will go before voters for regular terms in 2028, 2028, and 2026, respectively.
All five seats on the Public Service Commission have been held by Republicans since the 2006 elections. The current commissioners include Jason Shaw, Tim Echols, Fitz Johnson, Lauren “Bubba” McDonald and Tricia Pridemore. Republican Governors appointed Johnson, Pridemore and Shaw to the body, while Echols and McDonald began serving after being elected.
In Georgia, a candidate must obtain a 50%+1 majority in order to obtain their party’s nomination today. Otherwise, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff scheduled for July 15, 2025.
For District 2:
Alicia Johnson won the Democratic primary unopposed.
Incumbent Tim Echols won the Republican primary with 75.8% (47,938) against Lee Muns with 24.2% (15,323). 63,261 votes counted.
For District 3:
Keisha Sean Waites and Peter Hubbard will advance to a runoff in the Democratic primary with 46.0% (57,926) and 33.3% (41,889) against Robert Jones with 20.7% (25,996). 125,811 votes counted.
Incumbent Fitz Johnson won the Republican primary unopposed.
The general election for these two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission will be held on November 4, 2025. The runoff rules apply then as well. If a candidate doesn’t achieve a 50%+1 majority, then a runoff will occur on December 2, 2025.