In early results, veteran politician Lauren “Bubba” McDonald held a comfortable lead over his Republican primary rivals in his bid to remain on the state body that oversees Georgia Power and other utilities.
Hall County Commissioner Craig Lutz and Lavonia attorney Doug Kidd looked to unseat McDonald.
Two of the five seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission are up for a vote this year, but only the one held by McDonald faces challengers. The PSC sets rates that affect many consumers’ monthly utility bills and influences what expansion projects utilities pursue. In November, the winner will face Democrat Daniel Blackman of Cumming, an environmental planning and policy consultant, and Aaron Gilmer, an auditor from Dawsonville on the Libertarian ticket.
McDonald, 75, who lives in Clarkesville, was a Democratic state representative for two decades before being appointed to the PSC. He later lost the seat, then came back and won in 2008, this time as a Republican.
McDonald has said his priorities are to complete the nuclear expansion underway at Plant Vogtle and to continue to develop renewable energy. A strong proponent of solar energy, McDonald pushed Georgia Power to put more solar in its long-term power mix.
Lutz criticized him for doing so when Georgia Power already has far more generating capacity than Lutz said it needed. Kidd, meanwhile, said he ran for the PSC after seeing his Georgia Power bills rise after repeated PSC approvals of rate increases. He said he also had been frustrated with PSC members, particularly McDonald, who accepted dinners and outings from lobbyists, a practice that faced new restrictions with changes in state law this year.
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