‘Landslide’ PSC sweep jolts Georgia Democrats ahead of 2026 midterms
It’s a low-profile race that many Georgians might not know much about.
But the dual victories of Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson over Republican incumbents Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson for seats on the state’s Public Service Commission on Tuesday mark a genuine Democratic breakthrough.
Democrats scored their first non-federal statewide wins since 2006. And party leaders can’t help but look back even further to 1992, when Republican Bobby Baker’s PSC victory signaled the GOP’s emerging power in Georgia.
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It’s easy to read too much into a race this obscure. But it does send a message heading into a midterm year when U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is on the ballot and every statewide office is up for grabs.
Here are some takeaways:
A milestone for Democrats. Yes, Democrats benefited from rising frustration over utility rates and a low-turnout contest overlapping with municipal elections in Atlanta and other key left-leaning areas. But it also required intense work to take advantage of the favorable dynamics, including a $250,000 late ad buy from the Democratic Party of Georgia and a coordinated ground game that looked a lot like a rehearsal for 2026. Ossoff likes what he sees: He credited the party’s “unstoppable turnout juggernaut” for the “landslide” victories Tuesday night.
The affordability message hit. Democrats had the cleanest argument in the race: “My power bill is too high.” Utility rates have climbed roughly $43 per month since 2023 after commission-approved increases. The pocketbook pitch won. “People felt their light and gas bills going up in a real way. Having a message that people can touch, and the organizing behind it to remind them who’s responsible, gives Democrats a roadmap for 2026 and beyond,” said Dasheika Ruffin, a veteran party strategist.
The ‘scare the base’ strategy came up short. Echols said the quiet part out loud when he acknowledged his party’s approach: “We’re attempting to scare our Republican base.” Republicans leaned heavily on MAGA-infused cultural attacks in a race that has little to do with culture wars. Democrats responded by keeping the focus fixed on higher bills and not ideology. In a low-information race, simplicity mattered.
A validation moment for Charlie Bailey. The new DPG chair promised to rebuild the party’s organizing muscle, promising that “Republicans are going to be very unhappy” with him in charge. This race was his first test. The party ran twice-weekly phone banks, coordinated canvasses across metro Atlanta and college towns, and orchestrated one of its largest direct media spends in decades. “We are officially putting Georgia Republicans on notice,” he said.
A stress test for Kemp’s political machine. Gov. Brian Kemp’s network poured in at least $1 million to hold the seats, including a $500,000 TV blitz. That’s an unusually large investment for a race that typically draws only a fraction of that spending. But some GOP activists are now quietly pointing fingers, arguing the effort should have more heavily targeted base voters. Kemp’s allies counter that the strategy was sound — saturating Fox News with spots featuring the popular governor and pushing hard-edged messaging directly to conservative households. Garrison Douglas, an aide to Kemp’s network, said the group will be ”heavily involved in the 2026 cycle” — and invited his GOP critics to join them.
Turnout surge. A late surge to the polls is typically good news for Republicans. But this time, stronger-than-expected Election Day turnout worked to Hubbard and Johnson’s advantage. It suggests Democrats not only mobilized their base supporters but also tapped into broader frustration among independents, swing voters and even some Republicans. That’s how a county like Paulding, where Donald Trump won 61% of the vote in 2024, ended up nearly a draw on Tuesday.
What it means for 2026: These contests aren’t forecasts of the future. A single off-year election in a race most voters weren’t following won’t define next year’s midterms. But Democrats remember the 1990s, when Baker and other Republicans chipped away election by election before taking power in Georgia in the 2000s. And they’re not downplaying this one. It shows their coalition can still turn out — and that affordability issues may trump other factors headed into Ossoff’s re-election campaign and the governor’s race.
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
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