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Democratic National Committee vice-chair Jane Kleeb is coming to Georgia next week to campaign for the Democratic candidates running for two seats on the Public Service Commission. The visit comes as both parties ramp up their campaign efforts in what is typically an obscure race.

“I’m thrilled to go to Georgia to campaign for the Democratic candidates in the most important elections to lower prices on the ballot this year,” Kleeb wrote in a statement. “Utility costs are too damn high and working Georgians everywhere are struggling.”

The DNC and Association of State Democratic Committees have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the state party and for the candidates, a DNC spokesman said. The ASDC also plans to deploy hundreds of volunteers to help get out the vote.

Spokespeople for both state parties did not respond to questions about how much they’re spending on this race.

Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard are facing Republican incumbents Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson in the November 4 election. Early voting is already underway.

During the 2020 election runoff, when money, volunteers and high-profile Democrats flooded Georgia to campaign for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, some national Democrats supported PSC candidate Daniel Blackman as well. But this is the first time the DNC has gotten involved in a Georgia PSC campaign, according to the committee. Blackman lost his race that election cycle to Republican incumbent Bubba McDonald. Ossoff and Warnock both won their races for US Senate.

This year, the two PSC seats are the only statewide races. Municipal elections in cities like Atlanta are expected to drive Democratic turnout, so Georgia Republicans are ramping up their efforts to get rural supporters to the polls.

At a recent rally in Cumming, north of Atlanta, top state Republicans like Governor Brian Kemp and state GOP chair Josh McKoon argued that winning these races is a key step toward next year’s more prominent elections for governor and Senate.

“This is gonna be a close election. We’re a competitive state,” McKoon said. “But if we turn out our people we’re gonna win.”

This story is available through a news partnership with WABE, Atlanta’s National Public Radio affiliate.

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Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.