Progressive policy advocate Davante Lewis defeated three-term Public Service Commissioner Lambert Boissiere III on Saturday, handing the incumbent and utilities that backed him a stunning loss with the help of big money from environmental groups who want to shake up the commission.
Lewis, 30, who lives in Baton Rouge and works for the left-leaning Louisiana Budget Project, ran on a platform of making bold changes to how Louisiana regulates utilities. He called for a quicker transition to renewables, an effort to harden the electric grid in the face of increasingly severe hurricanes and a crackdown on excessive fees by Entergy and other utilities.
He becomes the first openly LGBTQ person elected to state office in Louisiana, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
With all early votes counted, plus election day votes from 738 of 748 precincts, Lewis had amassed 59% of the vote, after getting just 18% in the primary last month. He advanced to the runoff after edging out Boissiere’s three other challengers, two of whom later endorsed Lewis.
Both Lewis and Boissiere are Democrats.
Lewis’ campaign put Boissiere in the difficult position of defending the work of the PSC at a time when electric bills have soared, squeezing ratepayers, only a year after Hurricane Ida left millions without power, many for weeks.
Boissiere drew much of his financial support from utilities, lobbyists and others with business before the commission, and his opponents routinely criticized his campaign funding.
Boissiere countered by slamming Lewis for the support he drew from out-of-state groups. In particular, Lewis benefitted from Keep the Lights On, a super PAC largely funded by the Environmental Defense Fund that raised over $1 million for the race.
The incumbent was also aided by two key allies: U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, whose district spans much of the same area as the PSC’s District 3, and Gov. John Bel Edwards, who cut an ad for Boissiere in the home stretch of the campaign.
But Lewis was able to garner support from a network of advocacy groups and environmentalists who believe the commission has been asleep at the wheel regulating utilities at a time when climate change is threatening the grid.
Boissiere belongs to a prominent political family and has served on the commission since 2005, giving him an edge in name recognition across the district, which spans from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.
Voters and the media have historically paid little attention to the commission, an obscure five-member body. But it has drawn more interest of late, after hurricanes exposed an aging and battered electric grid and bills soared because of high natural gas prices.
The commission is tasked with regulating utilities and setting electric rates, among other things.
Throughout the campaign, Lewis criticized Boissiere and the PSC as feckless regulators who have been asleep at the wheel. He has promised to make bold changes to accelerate the transition to renewables; bolster the grid to better withstand hurricanes; and tackle “excessive” fees from utilities. Lewis and Keep the Lights On also targeted Boissiere for taking campaign contributions from utilities the commission regulates.
Boissiere defended the work of the PSC, touting steps the agency has already taken to approve solar farms and rein in Entergy’s rates. He also noted that he’s one of only two Democrats on the five-member body. Being the minority party, he said, has made it difficult to move the PSC toward more progressive policies.