Skyrocketing power demand from massive data centers and rising household electric bills are injecting a wave of attention into who is getting elected to watch over electric utilities. The tension played prominently into last November’s statewide elections in Georgia, New Jersey and Virginia, and is carrying forward into 2026, with campaigns cranking up in once low-profile contests for utility boards. Even the national group Turning Point Action is getting involved. Now, voters in states like Arizona and Alabama are girding for fights over the oversight of major utilities. The sudden new attention is helping to drag the largely behind-the-scenes politics of elected utility commissioners into a more public forum with stronger voter interest.
