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Term-limited Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is one of the last prominent members of an increasingly rare breed in the South: a white, rural, populist Democrat. Obviously, Louisiana’s politics have shifted in the 23 years since he first joined the PSC.
Looking to replace him as north Louisiana’s representative on the powerful regulatory body are an establishment Republican, two Democrats who hope the district is still winnable for their party, and a teenage Republican who you might be hearing about long after this race is over.
Party primaries in the race are set for May 16.
Caddo Parish Commissioner John Atkins is from the northwestern part of the state and is in his third term in office, so he figures his name recognition is pretty strong in his region.
“We still have lots of work to do in other parts of the district,” he says.
Atkins says his experience working on organizational structure and deregulation for electric utilities as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company gives him a base of knowledge that he would bring to the PSC. He has a master’s degree in finance and manages a portfolio of oil and gas and timber investments.
When the commission is weighing the power needs of industry while trying to protect residential consumers, “I think it’s very important to understand economics and project finance,” he says.
Unlike the Midwest, where wind power is “abundant,” Louisiana’s climate and topography mean renewable sources of energy likely will only serve in “niche situations,” he says, adding that current electricity prices in the state suggest the current resource mix is appropriate.
Asked about the Meta data center project in northeast Louisiana, he said the deal the current PSC made with Entergy seemed to be well thought out and “consumer friendly.” But as more potential data center projects jockey for position, the state shouldn’t get overzealous in trying to meet the perceived demand, noting that many discussed projects will never be built.
“We should only construct new infrastructure when there’s a clear long-term contract in place,” he says.
Atkins says U.S. Sen. John Kennedy supports his campaign, as do Republican leaders in Caddo Parish. The state GOP has not officially backed him publicly yet, though an endorsement is expected soon.
The Democratic State Central Committee has endorsed James Green, a pastor who serves on the Shreveport City Council. Green did not respond to interview requests for this story.
According to a Shreveport Times report, Green said his priorities include lower utility bills, reliable infrastructure, and equality for north Louisiana and underserved communities.
“Green said if utility companies can raise rates they must also raise standards but he will be fighting to lower rates and to help the underserved—paying whatever programs that will help to assist them—because there are some hurting people in the state,” the article states.
Green has often stirred controversy during his time on the city council. For example, as chair in 2023, Green tried to raise the salaries of certain council employees without the approval of the full council as required by the city charter. Green reportedly said he checked to see if the money was available in the budget and assumed the changes were legal.
Also seeking the Democratic nomination is Austin Lawson, a server and bartender running for office for the first time. He got involved with local activism through the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
“I noticed that electricity bills are very expensive, and also this data center conversation was starting to crop up,” he said. “[PSC commissioner] is a really good position to be able to change these things.”
Lawson says he’s not necessarily against data centers, but he wants to make sure the project owners are required to pay for all of their infrastructure, energy and water needs. He also wants to encourage companies to hire local people to build the centers and work there.
He calls for tighter rules around the PSC’s “public entities” program that allows members to allocate money collected from a monthly energy efficiency fee with little oversight, which Commissioner Davante Lewis calls “a slush fund with no checks and balances on commissioners to dole out cash that is collected from every ratepayer.”
“Make sure that these contracts are being done competitively,” Lawson says, “rather than just doling them out.”
He also would like to establish a consumer advocate, whose primary job would be to research issues that are before the commission and represent ratepayers’ interests. Louisiana is one of only three states that does not have an official consumer advocate, according to the Alliance for Affordable Energy.
Lawson wants to reduce the guaranteed return on investment that utility monopolies get and establish a “percentage of income payment plan” in which rates are based on ability to pay, similar to a program in Ohio.
The district voted 64% for President Donald Trump, compared to 46 percent for former Gov. John Bel Edwards, pollster John Couvillon says. So on the surface, this is a tough race for any Democrat.
But Lawson says the demographics lean “slightly blue,” and he trusts his ground game to carry him through the primary. From there, an anti-Republican sentiment in the November midterms could carry his underdog candidacy to victory, he says.
Speaking of underdogs, Aiden Joyner, who studies political science and business administration at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, is challenging Atkins for the Republican nomination. He says his work with his school’s Turning Point USA chapter spurred his interest in running for office.
Joyner’s interest in the PSC in particular stems from the fact that his father and grandfather own a towing company, which the commission regulates. The soon-to-be-open seat came up in a conversation with his grandfather, who knows about his interest in politics.
“Why not do it right now?” Joyner recalls thinking. “There’s no better time than the present.”
He acknowledged the challenge of going against someone with establishment backing, but says he doesn’t think about it much, since that’s not something he can control. And he says he has talked to many people who are excited to see a younger person step up to try to make positive change.
Joyner says he’s attending as many events as possible and meeting one-on-one with business owners in the district, which folks appreciate. He emphasizes transparency in those meetings, saying many of the people he talks with don’t understand how the PSC comes to its decisions and why their rates are what they are.
He says data center investment benefits the state, as long as the PSC ensures those projects don’t cause consumers’ rates to “skyrocket.” He wants to ensure the state’s power infrastructure is protected from threats like falling branches, and calls the lengthy outages that many north Louisiana residents experienced following the recent winter storm “inexcusable.”
Win or lose, he figures he is winning respect and name recognition in the attempt, which could be helpful for potential jobs or future elections.
“Even if I don’t win this election, I’m definitely not going to let that discourage me,” Joyner says.
