All three Georgia races for the Public Service Commission (PSC) will head directly to the November general election without runoffs.
Incumbent Tricia Pridemore narrowly beat her Republican opponent John Hitchins to win her party nomination for the District 5 Public Service Commission race.
Pridemore, who was appointed in November by Governor Nathan Deal, was in a tight race against Hitchins, a solar advocate who was outspent by the Pridemore campaign.
In the two other primary races, Democrats Lindy Miller and Dawn Randolph won their party’s nominations.
Miller, a businesswoman in the solar industry who raised the highest amount of money in the PSC primary season declared victory at 9:45 p.m. With 100 percent of the vote in, Miller had 65.46 percent of the vote.
“I am incredibly humbled to be one step closer to serving the citizens of Georgia by working to rein in utility bills for families and small businesses,” said Miller.
She said her campaign was about making bills affordable for customers across the state.
Her challengers in the primary race Johnny White, an IT professional and John Noel, a former state legislator, promised to support Miller in the general election.
Noel said he viewed the election as a chance to flip the two PSC seats for advocates for change.
“I believe we both shared a vision to change things for the better for Georgians,” he said after calling to congratulate Miller.
Miller will now face incumbent Chuck Eaton who has served at the commission since 2007 and Libetarian candidate Ryan Graham in the November election.
In the District 5 Democratic race, consultant Dawn Randolph also won her party nomination. With 94 percent of the vote in, Randolph was ahead of former state legislator Doug Stoner. Randolph won 78.59 percent of the vote.
“I am proud of the positive campaign we have run by raising awareness around the importance of the PSC,” said Randolph in a statement.
Her challenger, Stoner, congratulated her and pledged to support her in the general election.
Randolph will now face Pridemore and Libetarian John Turpish in the general election.
Pridemore’s campaign did not comment on the election, opting instead to issue a statement later. Her opponent, Hitchins, however congratulated her, adding that the race was an indication that voters were “taking a second look at their rising utility bills and now asking questions and demanding accountability.”
“Another aspect of me running was to make the appointed Commissioner earn their spot. The voters have spoken so she has done just that,” said Hitchins who also congratulated Pridemore on her win.
In the primaries, candidate campaigns were centered around the viability of two new nuclear units being built in Waynesboro-Vogtle3 and 4- whose construction has been financed by Georgia Power customers since 2009. Democratic candidates in the campaigns said Georgia Power and its co-owners in Vogtle should bear the financial burden of Vogtle.
Another central issue in the campaign was the need to invest more in renewable energy such as solar.
Besides participating in ongoing decisions about the fate of Plant Vogtle, commissioners will next year decide the state’s 20-year Integrated Resource Plan set out by Georgia Power and also vote on whether the company could raise rates for its customers.
The PSC comprises of 5 elected officials who serve staggered 6-year terms and are paid $118,781.37 annually. They are tasked with deciding fair and reasonable rates for gas, electricity and telecoms in the state.
The first PSC elections were held in 1906.
The last Democrat on the commission, David Burgess, lost to Chuck Eaton in 2006.
Bobby Baker was the first Republican elected to the commission in 1992. Before then all commissioners that served since 1906 were Democrats.
District 5 covers 23 counties among them Cobb, Douglas, Fayette and Paulding.
District 3 covers Dekalb, Clayton, Rockdale and Fulton counties.
SOURCE: PSC
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