Newcomer wins seat on Louisiana Public Service Commission
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Newcomer Davante Lewis, a Democrat backed by an environmental political action committee, easily won Saturday’s runoff for a seat on Louisiana’s Public Service Commission — an obscure regulatory body that has received national attention from media, celebrities, climate change activists and major public utility companies.
The 30-year-old progressive policy advocate received 59% of the vote to defeat incumbent Lambert Boissiere III, who received 41% with all participating precincts reporting.
Boissiere held a seat for nearly 18 years on the five-member commission, which regulates the state's public utility companies and energy sector and sets electric rates, among other oversight powers.
“Tonight, we have begun a new chapter for Louisiana,” Lewis said in a statement. “Tonight, the people of Louisiana start taking our power back. Tonight, Louisiana has a Public Service Commissioner who’s unafraid to hold Entergy accountable, because I owe this victory to the people of Louisiana and their commitment to a brighter, cleaner, and 100% renewable future.”
The Associated Press could not immediately reach Boissiere or a campaign representative for comment.
The multiparish election, covering an area stretching from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, saw hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into the race by major utility companies and outside political action committees.
Environmentalists have become increasingly focused on the commission in a state with a front-row seat to the effects of climate change and where tens of thousands of jobs are tied to the oil and gas industry. Even Hollywood paid attention to the runoff between the two Democrats, with “Avengers” star Mark Ruffalo chiming in on social media with his support for Lewis.
Lewis noted multiple...