by Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]
August 21, 2026
Republican Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore is stepping down early next month, 60 days before the election to replace her.
In an Aug. 18 email to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, Pridemore announced her plan to leave the body that regulates Georgia’s utility companies and helps set energy prices for Georgia Power customers. Her resignation was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Pridemore provided a copy of her resignation letter to the Recorder but declined to comment further. Her resignation takes effect Sept. 4.
“It has been an honor to serve Georgia in this position,” wrote Pridemore, who has served since 2018.
Georgia code gave Kemp, who is a Republican, the authority to appoint her successor until the next election. Kemp announced Friday he had selected former Commissioner Stan Wise, who previously served from 1995 to 2018, to hold the seat until the next elected commissioner is sworn in.
The election is set for Nov. 3, when Republican Josh Tolbert is set to face Democrat Shelia Edwards for control of the seat. Tolbert did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Edwards said she wishes Pridemore well, but that her departure will not change how Edwards campaigns.
“I’m not focused on a politician throwing in the towel,” she said. “I’m focused on the people of Georgia and making sure they have a strong consumer advocate on the Commission for the next six years. That is what is at stake. The real change that Georgians need will be decided by the voters in November.”
Public Service Commission races typically fly under the radar of many voters, but a pair of Democratic flips on the previously all-Republican five-person panel put a spotlight on the utility regulating body. Democrats chalked the wins up to dissatisfaction with rising energy rates under Republican control, but Republicans blamed an off-year election that put the PSC races on the ballot alongside local races in deep blue cities. Republicans currently hold a narrow majority.
The PSC has also come under increased scrutiny during Pridemore’s tenure over the growth of data centers, which proponents say will power the internet of the future, but have been the center of commotion at city council meetings around the state where opponents decry their heavy water and power usage.
Pridemore was appointed to the seat in February 2018 by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal and re-elected for a six-year term that year. Lawmakers went on to postpone PSC elections in 2024, which meant her seat was not up for re-election again until this year.
Pridemore’s tenure already had an expiration date. Instead of running for re-election this year, she filed paperwork to run for the congressional seat held by retiring Republican Congressman Barry Loudermilk but fell short of making the GOP runoff.
In an email, PSC Chair Jason Shaw praised Pridemore as an expert in energy and public policy who used her skills to benefit Georgians.
“Over the past several years, she brought her Georgia-born tenacity and intelligence to the national stage,” he said. “To say she will be missed is an understatement.”
- 6:09 pm. This story was updated after Gov. Brian Kemp announced Stan Wise as outgoing Commissioner Tricia Pridemore’s replacement.
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