APS staying out of Corp. Commission races
So far this year, Arizona Public Service Co. has mostly stayed out of the Corporation Commission elections, while the League of Conservation Voters — a nationwide environmental advocacy group — is spending $4 million to support Democrats.
The lack of spending from APS, should it continue, is a marked change from the 2016 commission elections.
Two years ago, APS’ parent company openly advocated for its preferred Corporation Commission candidates, and it spent about $4 million endorsing three Republicans.
In 2014, its participation through dark-money groups that don’t disclose donors was suspected but never confirmed by the company.
The company’s money was “accidentally” used by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry to attack Democrats running for the commission in 2012, and the chamber president officials apologized.
The long-standing tradition for APS at the time was to avoid participating in commission elections.
APS isn’t the only outside entity to spend in the races in past years, and Republicans aren’t the only beneficiaries.
In 2016, SolarCity Corp. of California spent about $3.1 million supporting Democrats and Republican Robert Burns. In 2014, a rooftop-solar advocacy group called TUSK financed ads for solar-friendly Republicans in the primary.
The five elected Corporation Commissioners set rates and policies for APS and other regulated utilities. That makes participation in the elections by any regulated utility or solar company that can benefit from commission decisions controversial.
Two seats on the commission will be decided in the Nov. 6 election, with Republicans Rodney Glassman and incumbent Justin Olson facing Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Kiana Sears.
APS’ parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp., put $3.2 million into a political-action committee to support candidates for “sustainable energy policy” in this year’s election, but hasn’t been very active spending that cash.
The electric company might simply be holding out for a last-minute campaign. In 2016, a political committee funded by Pinnacle West spent $2 million from Oct. 28 through the election on Nov. 8, including on television spots. It advocated for three Republicans in that race.
APS could still sponsor a last-minute ad blitz targeting people who have not yet mailed in their early ballots or who plan to vote at the polls for Tuesday’s election. A broad campaign is unlikely at this point because so many people have already voted.
Besides tens of thousands of dollars for political consultants, the group this year has only given $300,000 to the Arizona Republican Party.
The party sent mailers that criticize Kennedy and Sears while supporting Glassman, but he said no Pinnacle West money was used for them.
“That was a coordinated expense with the party, so it would be illegal to use any corporate money on it,” Glassman said. “So whatever APS did or didn’t give the party, it wasn’t used to pay for that piece.”
The Arizona Republican Party’s spokeswoman did not respond to questions regarding whether it also was advertising for Olson.
Olson said he has not worked with the Arizona Republican Party for any similar advertising.
It’s possible APS is staying out because Olson has said on the campaign trail that commissioners who get elected with a utility’s backing should recuse themselves from voting on matters involving that utility.
Abstaining from votes like that would make it harder for utilities to win approval for rate hikes because they need three of the five commissioners to allow such increases.
“I do not support utilities funding campaigns for the commissioners charged with regulating them,” Olson said during an early October debate hosted by
Glassman said at the same debate that he wants commissioners to adhere to the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct. He said that set of rules for judges would require commissioners to recuse themselves from votes involving utilities that helped them win an election.
“The Judicial Code of Conduct specifically prohibits judges from hearing case in front of those who contributed to their campaigns,” Glassman said at the debate.