By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Daily Star
Democrats will not get a free seat this year on the Arizona Corporation Commission. reliminary results show that Jim O’Connor has received enough write-in votes to qualify for a slot as a Republican in the November general election.
O’Connor needed 6,663 people to remember his name when they filled out their ballots, the number of signatures he would have needed to get nominated for the primary. Results from just Maricopa County, where early ballots already have been tallied, show he picked up more than 20,000.
Justin Olson, the lone Republican on the five-member panel who is not up for reelection this year, said this is about more than keeping the panel that regulates utilities firmly in GOP hands. Republicans already have a 4-1 edge, with Sandra Kennedy as the lone Democrat, but three others are vying for the three open seats.
What’s really at stake with having a full GOP slate, Olson told Capitol Media Services, is the chance to finally require electric companies to compete for business.a Corporation Commission write-in candidate may be key to deregulation.
