Two Democrats with roots in rural Arizona are teaming up in an attempt to flip two seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, the state’s top utility regulator.
Republicans currently hold all five seats on the commission.
Jonathan Hill and Clara Pratte argued that has resulted in a lack of viewpoint diversity that is bad for ratepayers.
“I think without having any sort of opposition voice on the commission, they've just started becoming in an echo chamber. They're not hearing alternative views,” said Hill, who ran a failed campaign for Corporation Commission in 2024.
Both Hill and Pratte have roots in rural Arizona.
Hill, a researcher at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, was born in Kingman. He has Ph.D. in geological sciences and has worked on NASA missions examining Mars.
Pratte grew up in Lupton, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. She now works with tribal and rural communities on economic development and other issues.
Pratte, who is also chair of the DNC’s Native American Caucus, said her ticket would bring a unique viewpoint to the commission, which is currently dominated by members from Maricopa and Pima counties.
“I grew up without electricity or water,” she said. “So you know, the need to invest in our rural communities has been a lifelong passion for me, and I've spent my career really addressing some of the inequities between tribal and rural communities and our larger communities here in Arizona.”
Differing on 'all of the above'
Currently, only Commissioner Nick Myers, who lives just past the Maricopa County line in Pinal County, resides outside of the state’s two most populous counties.
Hill and Pratte argued the current commission is too deferential to utility companies and too willing to raise rates.
"It's a completely one-sided commission. It's no different than having a monopoly at this point, because you don't have checks and balances,” Pratte said.
The current commission has defended its decisions, arguing it is balancing affordability and reliability.
Pratte specifically criticized a recent decision by the Corporation Commission to begin the process to remove a mandate that the state’s utilities get at least 15% of their energy from renewable sources.
“I think that is a great example of why we need balance on the commission,” she said. “We should be leading the country when it comes to renewable mandates, because we have abundant wind and we have abundant sun, and we know that they are reliable and affordable.”
Thompson, the Republican commission chairman, recently defended that decision, saying the mandate was no longer needed since all the state’s utilities currently exceed the 15% threshold.
Thompson and Pratte do agree on one thing, though. In recent interviews, they both said Arizona needs “an all of the above approach” to meet that growing energy demand.
But Pratte argues their definition of “all of the above” is different.
“Their all of the above approach is to lean into oil and gas,” she said. “To me, that cuts out a complete market for renewables. How is it all of the above if you're taking the wind out of the sails of renewables?”
Thompson said renewables should be part of the equation, but argued the state still needs natural gas, coal and solar power to provide a reliable source of energy and ensure power is always available as the state’s energy demands soar.
The 2026 election
Thompson and fellow Republican Commissioner Nick Myers are up for re-election next year.
Pratte and Hill are running as a ticket, seeking to flip those seats. But they will have to survive a competitive primary first.
Two other Democratic candidates, Derrick Espadas and Vincent Salazar, are also seeking the party's nomination.
Thompson and Myers are also facing a primary challenge after two members of the Arizona Legislature’s far-right Freedom Caucus entered the race earlier this year.
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