Business executive Lindy Miller raised more than $250,000 in her bid to unseat a Republican incumbent and become the sole Democrat on the Public Service Commission.
Miller’s campaign also released a slate of 50 endorsements that include state Sens. Nan Orrock and Nikema Williams among about a dozen elected officials. Others on the list include DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston, the Georgia WIN List advocacy group and grassroots organizer Heather Fenton.
Miller, a co-founder of a renewable energy firm, and former Democratic state Rep. John Noel are challenging Chuck Eaton for a seat on the five-member PSC. Eaton and Noel have yet to release their fundraising figures, which are due at the end of the month.
Democrats hope to gain a foothold in the PSC, which regulates Georgia's utilities, by highlighting the panel's unanimous vote to allow construction to continue on two nuclear reactors at Georgia Power's embattled Plant Vogtle despite billions of dollars in cost overruns.
The supporters of the extension, including Eaton, argued that the decision came down to the state’s need for more diversity in energy sources and the long-term economic development benefits.
Miller, a first-time candidate, said her quarter-million take is the largest ever sum ever raised by a PSC candidate challenging a sitting incumbent.
One other PSC seat is up for grabs in November. Stan Wise, the panel's chair, is set to resign next month and Gov. Nathan Deal said he's likely to tap longtime ally Tricia Pridemore to the seat. Democrat Doug Stoner, a former state senator, is among the potential challengers.
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