Lawyers, Executives and Domestic Abusers: GOP Ticket for PSC is a Match Made in Hell

Lawyers, Executives and Domestic Abusers: GOP Ticket for Public Service Commission is a Match Made in Hell

New analysis of campaign contributions shows Republicans doubling down on the old ways of doing business.

(Atlanta, Georgia) – The Energy and Policy Institute’s Daniel Tait released a report today that reveals that support for the Republican nominees for the Georgia Public Service Commission primarily comes from lawyers tied to the company, executives and other high ranking industry insiders, and the domestic abuser scion of a Birmingham Coal Magnate. For Cobb County resident Fitz Johnson, nearly $200,000 of his total fundraising haul of $306,000 came from large donations ($500+) associated with entities regulated by or with business before the Public Service Commission. 

“My opponent already added over $60 billion to our bills, padding the pockets of Wall Street shareholders while taking their money for his campaign, and now he’s back for more. I guess some people are never satisfied,” said incumbent Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard.

For Josh Tolbert, who recently pledged on Facebook that he would refuse campaign contributions from similar entities, but only if he wins this election, the report shows the Drummond family of Alabama spending $63,200 on his candidacies this year. Drummond Company is a private Birmingham coal producer founded in 1935, with mining operations in Alabama and Colombia. According to the report, “federal energy data shows Drummond selling coal to Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen as recently as 2023, and to Alabama Power’s plants Barry and Gaston in 2023 and 2024” through a company subsidiary.

“If my best friend were under investigation in two major cities over allegations that he strangled his wife, I would denounce his support and donate the funds to a women’s shelter rather than place them in my campaign account.” said Shelia Edwards, a two time, undefeated Democratic Nominee for Public Service Commission. “My loyalty will always be to organized people, not organized money.” 

The report continues a long tradition of utility money shaping political outcomes, but that tradition hit a brick wall in 2025 as Commissioners Peter Hubbard and Dr. Alicia Johnson defeated their Republican opponents by over twenty-six points in a rout so bad that one New York Times journalist was reportedly able to simply walk up to random people in Valdosta and get them to casually admit to crossing partisan lines. It seems Georgians are wise to the problem with Republican utility regulators: eventually, they run out of other people’s money. 

Democrats, in contrast, continue to champion common sense regulations that put small customers ahead of the profits of dynastic utility monopolies; including demanding union jobs, cutting wasteful spending, and improving current infrastructure before recklessly committing Georgians to half a century of debt payments. 

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