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Cobb County, GA ballot

Shelia Edwards

Democrat

Public Service Commissioner District 5 · Cobb County, Georgia · November 3, 2026

Also on the ballot: Josh Tolbert (Republican)

Shelia Edwards is a Democratic community advocate, journalist and business owner running for Georgia Public Service Commission District 5 on ratepayer protection, utility accountability, and expanded solar options. An August 2026 campaign-finance analysis found none of her large-dollar contributions came from utility-associated donors, unlike her Republican rivals.

What this office decides

Georgia's Public Service Commission regulates investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities, setting the rates customers pay and approving long-range plans for building or retiring power plants. A commissioner votes on how much of the cost of fuel, storm damage, and new generation is recovered from ratepayers, and on the mix of coal, gas, nuclear, and renewables in the state's energy plan. Though the seat is elected statewide by district, its decisions show up directly on monthly utility bills.

How this race lines up with you

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Dossier

Researched 2026-09-22 · Claude Code research agent with web search

Donald Trump: nothing found. No search result found any Trump statement endorsing or criticizing Edwards in this race.

  • Asian American Advocacy Fund (for) source

Who they are

Shelia (Trappier) Edwards is a Democratic community advocate, journalist and business owner with 35+ years in business, government and public service, including work as press secretary for the late U.S. Rep. David Scott and in communications for the Fulton County DA's Office and DeKalb County (Asian American Advocacy Fund). She previously won the Democratic PSC nomination outright in 2022 (that statewide election was postponed by litigation) and ran unsuccessfully for Cobb County Commission Chair in 2024 (Ballotpedia). She won the 2026 Democratic primary outright with nearly 56%.

Positions

  • Energy & environment: Supports expanding Georgia Power's solar net metering program, calling it a "win-win situation" (SACE).
  • Business & regulation: Says data centers should "pay their fair share" and wants "transparent, independent impact assessments" of their effects on air, water, energy demand and grid reliability (SACE).
  • Utility rates: Opposes "unnecessary rate increases," running "to stop endless rate hikes" (SACE).

Record

Never held elected office; career in government/campaign communications and business, plus prior unsuccessful bids for PSC (2022, postponed) and Cobb Commission Chair (2024) (Ballotpedia).

Money

An August 2026 Energy and Policy Institute analysis of contributions of $500+ found none of Edwards's large donors tied to utility interests the PSC regulates, unlike Republicans Josh Tolbert (39%) and Fitz Johnson (two-thirds) (Energy and Policy Institute). A committee is listed on Transparency USA, but totals/cash on hand weren't confirmed.

Recent news

  • 2026-05-19: Won the Democratic primary outright, ~56%, over Craig Cupid and Angelia Pressley (AJC).
  • 2026-08-11: Endorsed by the Asian American Advocacy Fund (source).

What we couldn't find

  • No Trump endorsement or criticism found.
  • Main Ballotpedia page returned blank; relied on other sources.
  • Exact fundraising totals/cash on hand not confirmed.
Sources (6)