Two Republicans, one Democrat to meet in Public Service Commission race
A row of energy transmission towers carries electricity along a highway outside of LaPlace, on July 1, 2024. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)
A Republican freshman state senator running for a seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission has coaxed support from two of his former GOP legislative colleagues. Instead of running against him, as they said they would, they’ve opted to sit the race out and endorse him instead.
Former state Reps. Barry Ivey of Central and Scott McKnight of Baton Rouge said Friday they had chosen not to qualify for the District 2 PSC race and are throwing their support behind Sen. J.P. Coussan of Lafayette. All three served in the Louisiana House of Representatives up until last year.
Coussan, who works in the real estate field, will face Julie Quinn, a Republican lawyer who held a Louisiana Senate seat from 2005 to 2012, and Nick Laborde, a Democrat human resources consultant.
They’re seeking to replace Dr. Craig Greene, a Baton Rouge Republican who decided not to seek re-election. Greene is widely seen as a moderate on the five-member on the Public Service Commission who has often cast the deciding vote among two Republicans and two Democrats.
After qualifying for the Nov. 5 race Thursday, Coussan said he was running to be “your next conservative watchdog in the utility space.”
“The politics of the PSC are nuanced because there’s different market players that come from all different walks of life, different political philosophies,” Coussan said. “At the end of the day, you know, we’re looking for reliable and affordable energy.”
His “business-friendly” outlook would result in more affordable utility bills for household customers because companies also want to see the lowest prices for power, he said.
Quinn qualified for the election Wednesday and described herself as a fiscal conservative. She lived in Metairie when she held a state Senate seat and now resides in Baton Rouge.
Quinn said she wants to make sure utility rates continue to stay affordable, particularly in light of the insurance crisis that is already driving up housing costs.
“I’m not a fan, obviously, as a fiscal conservative, of taxing the consumer on everything and passing along everything,” Quinn said.
When asked about her views on renewable energy, Quinn said she likes the concept of renewable energy, but that she also thinks renewable energy sources – such as solar power – are being pushed at an “unattainable” rate.
“We have to maintain our support for our traditional energy sources. Make sure they can afford to continue to function,” she said.
Laborde, who will turn 30 before Election Day, is making his first foray into politics. An Avoyelles Parish native who now lives in Baton Rouge, he is the great nephew of the late Raymond Laborde, the former mayor of Marksville who also held a seat in the Louisiana Legislature for 20 years. Raymond Laborde was also commissioner of administration during the final term of Gov. Edwin Edwards. The state prison in Avoyelles bears his name.
In a conversation with reporters Thursday after he signed up to run, Nick Laborde pledged not to accept campaign contributions from any of the companies he would regulate.
“In any other place on Earth, if you paid an official to do what you wanted, that’d be called a bribe. But in Louisiana, we just say that’s business as usual, and I think the Public Service Commission especially can be very susceptible to that.”
Asked whether he would forgo campaign donations from PSC-regulated businesses, Coussan said “when those checks come in, I’ll make that determination.” He also stressed that votes during his nine years in the Legislature were not influenced by any of his donors.
Quinn didn’t respond to attempts to learn her stance on campaign contributions from regulated businesses.
Piper Hutchinson contributed to this report.
Correction: This report was updated to correct Nick Laborde’s age.
