by Jill Nolin and Amber Roldan, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]

June 17, 2025

Two Democratic candidates for the Georgia Public Service Commission are headed to a runoff while Republican Commissioner Tim Echols handily beat his GOP challenger Tuesday night, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office. 

Keisha Sean Waites, a former Atlanta City Councilwoman and ex-state representative, was the top vote-getter in the District 3 Democratic primary but came just shy of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff with Peter Hubbard. She ended the night with about 46% of the vote.

“The voters have spoken and they want a fighter on the PSC,” she said late Tuesday night. “I look forward to continuing to work for all of the people of Georgia making the case that I am the best choice to serve them on the PSC. 

“We will continue to watch the race tonight to make sure all votes are counted and continue with the campaign tomorrow,” she said. 

Hubbard, who is the founder of the nonprofit Georgia Center for Energy Solutions, was the second place finisher with about 33% of the vote. 

“I am grateful to be in the runoff election for the Public Service Commission to fight for a Georgia powered by clean, low-cost renewable energy. I have a detailed plan to create that future and to lower power bills,” Hubbard said. 

Robert Jones, a former utility executive in California, came in third place. 

The District 3 race was upended when a leading candidate in the race, Daniel Blackman, had his eligibility challenged. Blackman, who came close to winning a seat on the commission in 2020, spent most of the early voting period trying to stay in the race. He was officially disqualified last week after he was unable to prove he met the 12-month residency requirement. 

Commissioners must live within a given district but all Georgians can vote for every seat, meaning someone in south Georgia has a say in who represents Atlanta. 

The winner next month will go on to face Republican Commissioner Fitz Johnson, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021. Johnson ran unopposed in the GOP primary. 

“Georgia families know the difference between reliable leadership and rolling blackouts,” Johnson said in a statement. “As I travel the state, I hear two consistent points – we need to see rate relief and thank goodness we can count on the reliability of our service.”

Over in the contested District 2 Republican primary, Echols was leading Lee Muns with nearly three-fourths of the vote late Tuesday. 

“I am grateful to Republicans who value our low rates and grid reliability—allowing us to stay the #1 state to do business,” Echols said in a statement Tuesday night. “Our Public Service Commission is laser focused on protecting Georgia families.” 

Echols will face Democrat Alicia M. Johnson in November as he seeks a third term on the commission. Alicia Johnson ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. District 2 spans a wide swath of east Georgia.

The Georgia Public Service Commission is a little-known regulatory panel that has significant influence over what consumers pay for their utilities and what resources utilities use to provide those services. 

Going into this election, commissioners are facing criticism for approving a series of Georgia Power rate increases that have cost the average household about $43 more per month since 2023. The utility recently agreed to a three-year rate freeze, though customers’ bills are still expected to rise during that time as the utility seeks to recoup its Hurricane Helene recovery and fuel costs. 

This year also marks the first time since 2020 that voters will have a chance to change the makeup of the panel. The 2022 elections were delayed because of a lawsuit challenging the statewide method for electing commissioners, arguing it diluted the power of Black voters. 

But the election so far have been a sleepy affair. About 200,000 voters participated in Tuesday’s election, representing about 3% of active voters. Some of those who showed up Tuesday hail from the never-miss-an-election crowd. 

“I don’t care if it’s presidential or commissioner (election), I need to vote, and I’m setting an example for my grandchildren, and they need to do the same,” Judith Ridley-Robert said outside a polling place in Kennesaw Tuesday. “Matter of fact, I sent my granddaughter a text to tell her to get her butt down here.” 

Georgia Recorder Deputy Editor Ross Williams contributed to this report. 

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.