The race for Public Service Commission (PSC) Place 2 garnered significant interest in the final days of qualifying, with incumbent Chris Beeker III now facing four opponents, including Priscilla Andrews, Jeffrey M. Boyd, Brent Woodall and Jim Zeigler.
Governor Kay Ivey appointed Beeker, son of former PSC commissioner Chip Beeker, in September 2025. The elder Beeker resigned, citing health reasons.
"Chris Beeker, III, possesses an excellent record of governmental and business experience, including heading the Alabama branch of a major federal agency through which he directed significant investments in economic development and water and sewer infrastructure improvements literally all across our state," Ivey said at the time of his appointment. "Chris understands first-hand the needs of Alabama communities and our citizens, and he will hit the ground running as public service commissioner."
Zeigler, a former state auditor and PSC commissioner, is also running for reelection to the office. He served one term in 1974.
"I am running to put the public back into the public service commission. I will be the Watchman for the people," Zeigler said in a statement to 1819 News on Friday. "The PSC is important, but they do not do a good job of letting the people know the issues they address."
This is Woodall's second time running for PSC Place 2. He previously ran against Jeremy Oden in 2022. He narrowly lost the Republican primary runoff against incumbent Jeremy Oden in 2022 by a 52% to 48% margin.
Woodall, who previously worked as a chief of staff for a former PSC member, previously told 1819 News he hoped to end the PSC’s “hidden tax” on ratepayers if elected.
“I call it the hidden tax. The Public Service Commission gets no money from the state General Fund. It gets its money to operate from the utilities that it regulates who pay to the Public Service Commission fees for the privilege of being regulated," Woodall said. "Every year, the Public Service Commission collects more money than it needs to cover its operating expenses, its personnel costs, and everything it needs to keep the doors open. At the end of the year, instead of sending the money back to the utilities, back to the ratepayers…that money quite frequently gets sent over to the General Fund. It’s not a few hundred dollars a year or a few thousand, it’s quite frequently, I think almost always in the millions."
Andrews is the only woman in the race. In 2022, she ran for the Houston County Commission, Place 3. She did not make the runoff.
Boyd is a former Orange Beach City councilman and mayor pro tem, who challenged incumbent Mayor Tony Kennon. Kennon defeated Boyd 59.64% to 40.36%.
Boyd has worked closely with the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization that outlines the America First agenda. Boyd said his work involves representing local interests in Washington, D.C. and Mar-a-Lago.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
