Two Democratic candidates vying for a metro Atlanta district seat on Georgia’s Public Service Commission are headed to a July runoff election.
Former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites claimed 46% of the vote Tuesday in a three-way primary, and Peter Hubbard, chief executive of Georgia Center for Energy Solutions, came in second with 33%. Democratic candidate Robert Jones trailed behind with 21% of the vote, according to results posted by the Secretary of State’s Office.
Since no candidate cleared the 50% bar required to win, the top two finishers — Waites and Hubbard — will face off in a runoff election July 15.
One other Democrat in the race, Daniel Blackman, was disqualified during the early voting period for failing to prove he lived in District 3 long enough.
Headed into the runoff, Waites touted her political record, saying she is the only candidate with legislative experience. Along with serving on the Atlanta City Council, Waites was a state representative from 2012 until 2017.
Hubbard, who is campaigning on his professional background in the energy field, said he was grateful to qualify for the runoff and would continue to “fight for a Georgia powered by clean, low-cost renewable energy.”
The runoff winner will face incumbent Republican Fitz Johnson in November. Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Johnson in 2021. This is his first election.
In fact, this year’s PSC races will mark the first time in five years voters will elect any of the board’s five members. A series of court battles delayed the 2022 election. A new law passed by state legislators in 2024 extended the 6-year terms of existing commissioners and established a new election schedule. That law is being challenged in court.
In the District 2 primary, Democrat Alicia Johnson, a health care consultant who ran unopposed, will challenge incumbent Republican Commissioner Tim Echols in November.
She said the Georgians who turned out for Tuesday’s Democratic primary “made it clear that years of unchecked rate increases demand a change at the Public Service Commission.”
Echols beat his challenger, Lee Muns, in the Republican primary by about three-quarters of the vote.
Echols defended the commission and said the board is “laser-focused on protecting Georgia families.”
The low-profile races could have a significant effect on how much Georgians pay for their utility bills. The commission regulates certain electric, gas and telecommunications companies, determining how much utility companies can charge.
Turnout for the rescheduled off-year primary was low. Only about 202,000 of Georgia’s approximately 8.4 million registered voters — or 2.4% — participated in Tuesday’s primary elections.
The reported primary results are unofficial until county election boards certify results by June 23.
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