Party Primary Runoff Preview: PSC Place #2
Alabama's party primary runoff elections are this coming Tuesday. This is part 4 of the preview of Tuesday's runoff balloting.
Today's Preview: Public Service Commission, Place #2
The mission of the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) is to ensure a balance between regulated companies and consumers in order to provide consumers with safe, adequate and reliable services at rates that are equitable and economical.
The history of the Alabama Public Service Commission begins in 1915 when it was established by the Alabama Legislature. The Commission evolved from the Railroad Commission of Alabama, which was created in 1881 to regulate railroads. The Commission has always been composed of three elected members: a president and two associate commissioners. All three won their seats in statewide elections.
The PSC is supposed to regulate the retail operations of public utilities serving customers in Alabama. Among other things, the PSC regulates the price of electricity, natural gas and the quality and value of service provided by utilities.
The PSC holds public meetings monthly at its offices in Montgomery. During those meetings, the PSC and its staff discuss information about the operations of the regulated utilities. Plus, the PSC holds an annual public meeting at which regulated companies provide financial projections related to rates and environmental expenses for the upcoming year. During this annual meeting, customers, the Attorney General (the consumer advocate for the citizens of Alabama) and other interested parties have the opportunity to ask questions about regulated company’s operations and finances.
Critics over the years have alleged that PSC members are too cozy with regulated companies, leading to higher rates. Some in the Alabama Legislature claimed the small size of the PSC membership allows utilities to have too much influence.
The 2026 legislative session produced a bill enlarging the commission with four additional members and eventually put it under the supervision of a secretary of energy. Under the bill, each of the seven PSC members will be elected from one of the state’s seven congressional districts in a process that will go through 2030.
The PSC is currently comprised of President Cynthia Almond, a former Tuscaloosa City Council member and state legislator, Jeremy Oden and Chris Beeker. Beeker is the only incumbent in Tuesday's runoff.
Almond is not up for election but In the race for the Place 1 seat Commissioner Jeremy Oden, a Republican who has served on the body since 2012, lost his bid for re-election to Matt Gentry, who currently serves as sheriff of Cullman County, 75 percent to 25 percent.
Some critics claim Alabama Pwer's pledge to not raise utility rates any further until 2027 is a veiled attempt to help incumbents. If true, it's not working as exemplified by Oden's loss. It is also largely a reason for incumbent Chip Beeker'a uphill battle in next week's runoff.
The Republican Runoff
In last month's primary balloting, Jim Zeigler, the former state auditor, received 189,724 (44.84%) votes for Place 2 and Chris Beeker, the incumbent received 103,835 (24.54%) votes.
State political observers believe Zeigler benefitted from a high name identity have served as auditor, been a candidate for other offices, receiving news coverage for opinions on a number of issues and being a former UA SGA president in the 1970s. Zeigler also made a name for himself when he, very publicly, audited the office of then Alabama Governor Robert Bentley.
Being an incumbent at a time that Alabama has some of the highest power rates in the southeast has not helped Beeker's reelection bid.
To this point, neither candidate has invested heavily in political adverting, both have leaned heavily on media interviews and campaign appearances.
Beeker was appointed to the commission in 2024 and is campaigning on his experience. He says, "From my work with President Trump at the USDA to my current role on the Public Service Commission, I have stood strong for Alabama values and America First policies. Now more than ever, we need conservative leadership to protect our way of life."
Zeigler was not only state auditor, but he was also a PSC commissioner from 1974 to 1978. He is campaigning on regulating data centers, and his campaign website says he would "insist on cost allocation structures that protect residential ratepayers when large commercial projects require new infrastructure.
The Democratic Runoff
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Sheila McNeil advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama Public Service Commission Place 2 as the only person who ran for her party's nomination.
McNeil sued the state over the law restructuring the commission. She alleges the law — expanding the membership and giving Gov. Ivey four appointments to be made before July 15 – violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment because it altered election rules after absentee voting had already started.
The lawsuit also argues that the law, known as HB 475, diluted the voting power of minority voters in violation of Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and stripped McNeil of the “protected interest of her candidacy” without giving her notice or a hearing.
“When the Legislature enacted this bill . . ., without any process to protect candidates already in the field, filing suit became the only path to safeguard the rights of voters and candidates alike,” McNeil said in a statement. “With all of the political maneuvering to restructure the Commission, there is nothing in this law that will remotely reduce utility bills.”
Critics say McNeil should base her campaign on Alabama's high utility rates instead of civil rights. They point to how two Democrats used the issue to turnout two Republican with the largest statewide margins of victory by Democrats in more than 20 years.
Sunday Runoff Preview: Clearing up the Confusion
Monday Runoff Preview: Sample Ballots
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