Atlanta, November 5, 2025 – Historic victories reshape state energy oversight as voters prioritize affordability and accountability
Georgia voters delivered a decisive shift in state energy policy Tuesday, electing two Democrats to the Public Service Commission while Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens secured reelection with a commanding victory that avoided a runoff.
Energy Policy Takes Center Stage
Dr. Alicia M. Johnson and Peter Hubbard claimed victory in long-delayed special elections for the Georgia Public Service Commission, unseating Republican incumbents in races centered on rising utility costs and corporate accountability.
Johnson, a nonprofit executive from Athens, defeated Tim Echols in the District 2 race, ending his 14-year tenure on the commission. Echols had faced mounting criticism over rate increases approved for Georgia Power in recent years, despite his advocacy for expanding nuclear and solar capacity.
“This victory belongs to every volunteer who knocked on doors, every supporter who made a call,” Johnson said in her victory statement. “It's for the single mother choosing between groceries and her power bill, the senior trying to keep the lights on, and the young voter who showed up believing their voice matters.”
Hubbard, an engineer and clean-energy advocate from Macon, won the District 3 seat over Fitz Johnson, a Republican appointed to the commission in 2021. The race marked Fitz Johnson's first electoral test after serving through appointment.
“Affordability is front and center in voters' minds,” Hubbard declared Tuesday night. “I will work tirelessly to lower utility costs, bring more clean, reliable energy resources to this state, and refocus the Commission's work on the public interest.”
Why These Races Matter
The Public Service Commission wields significant power over Georgia households and businesses, setting electricity and natural gas rates across the state. The five-member body determines how much of Georgia Power's operational costs—including the multi-billion-dollar Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion—get passed to customers.
With average household power bills ranking among the highest in the Southeast, both Democratic candidates made affordability their central campaign promise. Johnson pledged to improve transparency and ensure “every Georgian has a voice at the table,” while Hubbard emphasized Georgia's growing clean energy manufacturing sector as a path to lower costs and job creation.
“Georgia is a manufacturing powerhouse for solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles,” Hubbard said. “Together we can lower utility costs, create high-paying local jobs, and improve Georgia's overall economy.”
Both winners will serve abbreviated terms before their seats return to the ballot in 2026.
Long-Delayed Elections
Tuesday's PSC races were years in the making. The elections had been postponed since 2020 due to a federal lawsuit challenging Georgia's system of electing commissioners through statewide votes. A district court ruled in 2022 that the at-large method diluted Black voting power, but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision. When the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2024, the path cleared for the District 2 and District 3 races to proceed.
Dickens Claims Second Term
In Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens won reelection decisively, capturing more than 50 percent of the vote in the nonpartisan contest to avoid a runoff. His first-ballot victory gives him a clear mandate for a second term leading Georgia's capital city.
During his victory speech, Dickens pointed to gains in housing development, crime reduction, and improved city finances as evidence of successful leadership. He outlined an agenda for his second term focused on lowering housing costs, supporting workers, and sustaining public safety improvements.
The mayor's reelection provides continuity for Atlanta as the city navigates ongoing challenges around affordability, transportation, and economic development in one of the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan areas.
A Shift in Energy Politics
The Democratic sweep of the PSC races represents a significant political shift for energy policy in Georgia, a state where Republicans have long dominated utility regulation. With grassroots organizations including Lead Locally, the Working Families Party of Georgia, and Georgia Conservation Voters mobilizing voters, both Johnson and Hubbard framed their campaigns as “people-powered movements” against corporate interests.
Their victories signal that Georgia voters—facing stubbornly high utility bills—are ready for a change in how the state balances energy reliability with affordability and accountability. How the newly configured commission navigates rate cases and infrastructure decisions in the coming years will directly affect millions of Georgia households and businesses.
