Republicans seek challenger to Atlanta’s Hubbard, successor to Pridemore in PSC primary

Before last autumn’s election cycle, many Georgians had never heard of their state’s Public Service Commission (PSC), despite the five-member panel’s crucial role in regulating utilities. That changed when local progressive groups and allies—as far-flung as Montana-based YouTube celebrity Hank Green—raised alarm about the PSC, urging Georgians to vote in what Green dubbed the most important race of the 2025 U.S. election cycle. Georgia residents will vote for two PSC seats in the upcoming May 19, 2026 primaries.

The largest Georgia utility is state-regulated monopoly Georgia Power, which supplies electricity to most of the state and raised rates six times in three years, increasing average monthly costs more than $40 per Georgia household—one of many points raised by detractors of the then-all-Republican Commission. 

U.S. District Court Judge Steven Grimberg ruled in a Georgia Conservation Voters lawsuit on August 5, 2022, that PSC at-large elections—the entire state voting on all candidates despite the five seats being broken up geographically—violated the Voting Rights Act. Ensuing legal gridlock delayed regular PSC elections for three years, but opened the door for Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson to win seats in a special election in 2025. 

Three candidates for District 3 

Hubbard defeated then-Commissioner Fitz Johnson to fill the seat in the last year of Fitz’s elected term. The seat is up again, representing Fulton, DeKalb, Rockdale and Clayton counties as District 3. Now, Hubbard and Fitz appear set to battle again in the 2026 general election for a full six-year term.

That is, unless Brandon Martin—the only other qualifier in District 3—can defeat Fitz Johnson in the May 19 Republican primary, for which early voting is underway.

On his website, Martin promises safe, reliable, affordable energy domestically and properly resourced for statewide growth, updated infrastructure and energy industry jobs that cannot be outsourced. He also touts life accomplishments such as:

• first in his family to attend college (Georgia Tech, 1994-2000)
• his career as a purchasing manager
• father of four children, including an Air Force member

PSC swing seat up for grabs in District 5

The other PSC seat on this year’s ballot is District 5, which represents 23 counties in western Georgia, from Harris County to Peach County at its southern end and Polk County to Cobb County at its northern end. Commissioner Tricia Pridemore announced this would be her last year, as she runs for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District. Three candidates per major party qualified for the May 19 primary.

Democrats PSC District 5

All three Democratic candidates are known political entities in Cobb County. 

Craig Cupid is the spouse of Cobb County Commission Chair Lisa Cupid and a former longtime intellectual property attorney for legal conglomerate BakerHostetler. His campaign site stresses tough financial circumstances for his family throughout childhood and early adulthood, his electrical engineering background and big energy users paying a fair share.

Shelia Edwards lost the Democratic primary for Cobb County chair to Lisa Cupid in 2024 after narrowly losing the 2020 Cobb County District 4 commissioner primary runoff. She cites Democratic Party senior leadership experience and her successful primary bid for the District 3 seat in 2022 as reasons to vote for her. After she won the Democratic primary outright, Judge Grimberg’s ruling and ensuing legal gridlock led to the general election’s cancellation. Edwards’ four-point platform is to end rubber-stamping, protect ratepayers, deliver real accountability and build a clear, affordable energy future for Georgia. Edwards also lost Georgia House District 39 primaries in 2016 and 2018.

Angelia Pressley also lost a 2018 primary—the Cobb County Board of Education District 2 race—and the 2020 Cobb County District 4 commissioner primary, where Edwards advanced to the runoff. Pressley’s campaign commits to respecting expert proposals, frequent public fora, rate structure and energy-efficiency incentive reforms, and local clean energy generation that protects natural resources and provides sustained local jobs. Addressing those issues, Pressley spoke ardently against the PSC’s 10-gigawatt approval in hearings last December. Her background includes professorship at Clark Atlanta University in AI conversions and data analytics, independent advertising and PR work, and community work with groups such as Keep Cobb Beautiful. She has dubbed herself the only environmentalist in this race.

Republican candidates for PSC District 5

Josh Tolbert appears to be the Republican favorite, perhaps based on name recognition from finishing third with 17.6% of votes as the lone Republican in an open special election for State Senate District 35 (Smyrna) in November. He’s also the lone Republican with campaign contributions to report; at more than $110,000, Tolbert’s campaign finance more than doubles the other five candidates combined. His campaign has focused on his mechanical engineering and power generation technology background, technical oversight, reliable and resilient utility systems, improved environmental performance, and comments at December hearings related to the Georgia Power expansion. There, Tolbert spoke of proper contractual regulations to avoid rate hikes due to potential failure of speculated new data centers and other large users to meet load levels.

Bobby Mehan declares he would make big energy users pay more than their fair share to lower costs for families, promising no rate increases. He points to small-business ownership and redeveloping downtown Bremen—close to the Alabama border on I-20—as his chief qualifications. He vows to strengthen the grid and “guard against reckless Green New Deal policies that would risk grid reliability,” advance energy innovation and smart investment, and support Georgia’s growing economy.

Carolyn Roddy emphasizes herself as the only Republican candidate with regulator and advocate experience, as well as appointment by President Trump to the Rural Utilities Service as a regular of Washington, D.C. She touts 18 years at the Federal Communications Commission and nine years advocating before federal and state regulatory agencies, including the PSC and other utility commissions in the South. She directly critiques the 5-0 vote to approve the 10-gigawatt expansion, promising oversight on data center power buildout, pushing back on unprecedented increases to ratepayers since 2023 and delivering rural utilities.

From the voters: Flipping the switch on Georgia Power

Atlanta progressives and leftists who demonstrated against that expansion have continued to oppose Georgia Power’s sway over the PSC. One group, The Atlanta People’s Campaign, has composed a pledge for candidates to sign and garnered backing from like-minded organizations.

“The pledge gives our Public Service Commissioners an opportunity to formally demonstrate their commitment to serve the public’s interests first and foremost, and to protect Georgians from being exploited by corporate monopolies,” said Maggie Birgel, a member of The Atlanta People’s Campaign. “More specifically, we are asking commissioners to refuse donations and gifts from the companies they regulate, like Georgia Power. We’re not asking a lot: put an end to the bribery and corruption, and do the job you signed up for.”

Republicans had won every PSC election since 2000, including unseating current PSC ranking member Lauren “Bubba” McDonald in 2002. McDonald switched to the Republican Party in 2008 and helped maintain a 5-0 Republican commission since the 2006 election. Fitz Johnson, whom Gov. Brian Kemp appointed in 2021, did not face an election until he lost to Hubbard in 2026, snapping the 20-year Republican win streak. General election victories for Hubbard and whichever Democrat wins the District 5 primary would mean the first Democratic PSC majority since McDonald’s 2002 loss.