Arizonans headed to the polls Tuesday night for a primary that will decide which Republicans will join Democrats Jonathon Hill and Clara Pratte on the November ballot for two prized seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission. With only two Democrats in the race, the real action was on the GOP side, where incumbents Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson tried to hang on to their spots against a challenge from state Rep. Ralph Heap.
Myers and Thompson are seeking new terms as sitting commissioners, while Heap has cast himself as the more conservative option in the three-way Republican fight. Official candidate filings list the three Republicans and two Democrats on the Corporation Commission ballot, according to the Arizona Secretary of State.
Because voters will fill two commission seats in November and the Democratic primary featured only Hill and Pratte, that contest effectively sent both Democrats straight to the general election. The real suspense now rests with Republican voters, since the top two GOP finishers will set up the head-to-head matchups against Hill and Pratte this fall, according to AZ Luminaria.
Why this race matters to your power bill
The Arizona Corporation Commission writes the rules that shape electricity, gas and water rates statewide, so its decisions are never far from your monthly utility bill. Recent votes to scale back renewable-energy mandates have turned the five-member body into a prime battlefield for ratepayer advocates and utility interests alike.
Critics have zeroed in on relatively small donations to the incumbents and questioned whether recent commission decisions tilt toward utilities instead of customers. Opponents and supporters have laid out those concerns in reporting this month, and Thompson told the Arizona Capitol Times that he follows his own convictions and that his record backs that up.
What’s next
The top two Republicans statewide will move on to the November general election, where voters will choose two commissioners to serve on the ACC’s five-member board. Vote tallies and early returns are being compiled and posted in live trackers, including those run by the Associated Press, according to The New York Times.
Results continued to roll in after the polls closed and could shift as counties process additional early, provisional and overseas ballots. Final totals will be locked in at the statewide canvass. The state’s elections office has published guidance on the canvass process and media data feeds, according to the Arizona Secretary of State, and the Associated Press will call the race once it determines that remaining ballots cannot change the outcome.
