In 2025, Georgia ratepayers delivered a historic blow to utility industry dominance by electing Democratic candidates to both contested Public Service Commission seats with sweeping majorities — each candidate eclipsing 60% of the vote. These victories marked the first non-federal statewide wins for Democrats in Georgia since 2006. Nesbitt & Parrinello’s comprehensive research on incumbent commissioners exposed the clear connections between their anti-consumer voting patterns and utility industry relationships, providing the foundation for campaigns that successfully framed rising energy costs as a direct result of corporate capture.
Our research documented how commissioners with extensive utility industry ties repeatedly prioritized corporate profits over both consumer protection and environmental responsibility. This intelligence proved crucial in helping Democratic campaigns make the case that Georgia families were paying the price for commissioners who served utility shareholders instead of ratepayers.
The massive Democratic victories in both PSC races serve as a powerful litmus test for how Democrats can successfully leverage rising energy costs against corporate-aligned Republicans with effective research backing to uncover and link these findings.