(The Center Square) – Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols fended off a challenge in the Republican primary for his District 2 seat and Democrats appear to be heading to a runoff in District 3.
Echols won more than 75% of the vote to challenger Lee Muns’ 24.19% for the seat that covers a large part of eastern Georgia, according to unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office. He will face Democrat Alicia M. Johnson in November.
Three Democrats vying for the District 3 seat that covers Dekalb, Fulton and Clayton counties split the ticket, with Keisha Sean Waites leading with just over 46% of the votes, followed by Peter Hubbard with 33.32% and Robert Jones who garnered 20.63%.
Georgia law requires a runoff if no candidate receives a majority of the vote. The runoff between Waites and Hubbard is July 15. The winner will face Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson, who did not have opposition.
Candidates are required to live in their district but all Georgia voters decide the seats. Turnout was very low. More than 125,000 Democratic voters cast ballots in both races. Just over 63,000 voters decided the contest between Echols and Muns while 54,451 cast a ballot in Johnson’s uncontested race, according to the results.
The Public Service Commission oversees the state’s utilities. A hearing on a rate agreement between Georgia Power and the state is next week and a vote is planned for July 1.
The plan that would freeze rates for the utility giant was announced just weeks before the primary election.
“The timing to me doesn’t matter,” Gov. Brian Kemp said when announcing the rate agreement in May. “We are talking about an upcoming primary election for down ballot offices that’ll have to be decided in November. We’re not basing our calendars around here on what political elections are coming up.”
