Georgia Republicans say they fear local elections could help Democrats in statewide utilities race

Gov Brian Kemp lately held a rally for the GOP incumbents on the Georgia Population Arrangement Commission Alander Rocha Georgia Recorder A unique off-year electoral contest for two seats on the Georgia Population Institution Commission a body responsible for regulating utilities in the state has Republicans vocally concerned especially considering concurrent municipal elections that they worry could favor Democratic mobilization Early voting starts Tuesday for the Nov balloting which will decide the fate of two incumbent Republican commissioners on the PSC Tim Echols of District and Fitz Johnson of District who are being challenged by Democratic candidates Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard respectively Fitz Johnson was appointed to the seat by Gov Brian Kemp in With the races operating outside the typical presidential or midterm electoral contest cycles attention is low and local municipal races could inadvertently dictate the outcome of the statewide PSC contests according to experts District Populace Amenity Commissioner Fitz Johnson Alander Rocha Georgia Recorder Democrats are also hoping frustration over rising electricity bills will help motivate voters to turn out with both Democratic candidates campaigning on utility affordability Republicans appear to be ramping up efforts to energize their base Republican Gov Brian Kemp in recent weeks headlined a campaign event in Cumming for the Republican incumbents Signs at the event revealed Don t Dem the lights in Georgia Josh McKoon the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party commented there was notable concern about Republican voter engagement in the PSC races He commented this voting is pivotal for two reasons the PSC s role in ensuring reliable vitality which is the backbone of Georgia s economic activity and the need to prevent the Democratic Party from gaining a crack in the door to the state s governance We have got to wake people up he explained McKoon encouraged early voting saying that the more early voting we have the easier it s going to be to finish the drill and win this poll He described the vote as a close electoral process in a competitive state At the top of his speech Kemp signaled his concerns about low Republican turnout and suggested that apprehension over the coming polling drove first lady Marty Kemp to start wearing a shirt with the word pray on it You hardly even see Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson out there shaking any hands asking anybody for a vote They re hoping nobody pays attention to this race They don t even want people to know that there is a race That is our biggest liability in this race as a lot of the speakers have talked about is that people just don t know what s going on Kemp disclosed Echols who has served on the commission since acknowledged that Democrats have an advantage due to the numerous municipal elections taking place and along with other speakers pivoted to campaigning on cultural issues He called his opponent Alicia Johnson a DEI specialist who wants to bring DEI principles into robustness care companies and now she wants to do that at the Inhabitants Amenity Commission District Community Provision Commissioner Tim Echols Alander Rocha Georgia Recorder She wants to bring DEI and wokeness to the PSC We only can t let that happen can we Echols disclosed Alicia Johnson the Democratic candidate for District addressed the attack directly calling the comments not just a lie but a racist MAGA dog-whistle saying that her background is at the intersection of society rise economic expansion and general strategy She added that she believes the attack is a sign that the incumbents are scared I think it really speaks to Tim Echols character and his personal values and that it s a reflection of him not me Alicia Johnson disclosed I m not just a Black female but I m a wife I m a mother I m a grandmother I m a population leader If he wants to point out that I ve dedicated my career to helping people communities and organizations grow stronger and healthier and more resilient then way to go Tim Populace Function Commission candidate Alicia Johnson a Democrat qualifies to run earlier this year Stanley Dunlap Georgia Recorder Other speakers also resorted to way of life war attacks with Attorney General Chris Carr who is running for governor claiming that the Democratic Party has been taken over by socialists Congressman Mike Collins a U S Senate candidate noted that allowing the two Democrats to be elected would bring back that green new scam of Joe Biden s America along with California values of less power more brownouts and higher potency But despite Republicans concerns about reaching voters Hubbard was the only candidate who participated in a fresh debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club Hubbard who debated against an empty podium as Fitz Johnson declined to participate used the absence of his opponent to launch a direct attack on the incumbent s record My question would be why didn t you have the courage to show up at present and defend your six rate hikes in two years Hubbard required Echols and his opponent Alicia Johnson also did not participate in the debate Peter Hubbard at the Atlanta Press Club General Ballot debates on October in Atlanta Photo credit J Glenn Photography courtesy of the Atlanta Press Club The role of municipal elections Charles Bullock a political scientist at the University of Georgia declared in an interview that because Georgia still leans conservative Republicans who are also incumbents have a slight advantage However he pointed to the general low visibility of PSC races saying that voters typically don t know who the candidates are or what the PSC does Voters in this scenario are likely to show up to vote for local candidates they know and tend to fall back on party ID Bullock revealed That s the kind of situation which therefore may create the opening where Democrats could break through and win one or both of these Bullock revealed Democrats are pledging to be a check on rising utility bills The current commission has come under scrutiny for approving a series of rate increases requested by Georgia Power Bullock and fellow UGA political science professor Trey Hood emphasized that the simultaneous municipal elections in cities typically where Democrats live and contested races are common can provide a stronger incentive for voters to show up at the polls I think the argument about Democrats being somewhat advantaged because of these local elections is maybe more correct or presumably has more weight Hood announced compared to the argument about voters being dissatisfied with rising potential bills Bullock noted if Democrats were to win either or both seats this would be quite inspiring and exciting for them as they head into next year s elections because they may see it as conditions trending in their favor He noted that even if both Republican incumbents win Democrats could still interpret results as an advantage heading into where majority of statewide seats will not have a Republican incumbent running potentially opening the door for more competitive contests Voter frustration over utility bills Democrats and potency advocates are banking on voter frustration over rising utility bills helping to energize voters Charles Hua of PowerLines an organization focusing on consumer potential issues declared in an interview that nationally utility bills are the fastest driver of inflation right now adding that utility bills in Georgia have increased in the last two years translating to about per year Hua announced that utility affordability is a very animating issue right now and could mobilize voters but that the challenge is that the awareness of the PSC s role is not high Preponderance state agencies across the U S that regulate utilities are appointed unlike in Georgia where voters can choose each of the five commissioners We re in the homestretch days What s doable Look I don t know We don t know We re going to see this play out We don t know what the final turnout number will be because this is the only statewide electoral contest you know on the ballot and the greater part people have not heard of it Hua mentioned Connie Di Cicco political director for Georgia Conservation Voters an organization focused on environmental protection advocacy disclosed the frustration is almost palpable at this point and that she believes that the direct connection between the PSC and bills is a strong mobilizing issue Affordability is just a universal issue that a lot of people are feeling all over the state and that is something that people are very upset about and literally hits home So if you re feeling it and you don t like it then you can vote for change and make something happen in November Di Cicco stated The post Georgia Republicans say they fear local elections could help Democrats in statewide utilities race appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta