Brent Woodall Qualifies for PSC Place 2, Challenges Beeker

Tuscumbia attorney Brent Woodall has officially qualified with the Alabama Republican Party to run for Alabama Public Service Commission Place 2 in the 2026 election cycle. He will challenge appointed Commissioner Chris Beeker III in the Republican primary on Tuesday, May 19.

Woodall filed his candidacy on Friday, joining a crowded field of four other Republicans competing for the PSC Pl. 2 seat this cycle. Beeker, who was appointed to the seat in 2024 after his father, Chris “Chip” Beeker Jr., resigned for health reasons, is seeking election to a full term.

In a campaign statement, Woodall criticized the current Commission’s record on utility oversight and affordability. “The Commissioners of the Alabama Public Service Commission have failed to carry out the agency’s mission of balancing the interests of regulated companies and consumers to ensure safe, adequate, and reliable services at affordable rates,” he said.

Woodall pointed to reports showing that Alabama has some of the highest utility bills in the Southeast and third-highest in the nation, and said, “I question the Commission’s response to these findings, noting that the PSC voted to freeze rates at their current levels,” he said. “Freezing rates at historically high levels does not equate to providing affordable utility services for consumers.”

He also drew a contrast with Beeker’s experience. “This is the result of a commissioner who lacks both experience and commitment to the responsibilities of the office,” Woodall said. “We need conservative leadership at the Public Service Commission.”

Woodall noted his own background with the PSC, saying, “I have four years of experience at the PSC, that is more experience than the current commissioner has today.”

Woodall has emphasized the circumstances of Beeker’s appointment, noting that the incumbent was quickly installed following his father’s resignation and had no prior PSC experience. “I have the experience,” he said. “I spent three years as Chief of Staff (at the PSC).” He also cited his conservative credentials, including work as a Young Republican, a conservative TV and radio host, and serving as a Trump delegate in 2016.

A central focus of his campaign is the so-called “hidden tax” collected by the PSC from utilities. Unlike most state agencies, the PSC is funded by fees from the companies it regulates, not the State General Fund. Any surplus at fiscal year-end is sent to the General Fund rather than returned to ratepayers. Woodall said this amounted to $10 million in 2021 and approximately $34 million between 2021 and 2024. “I want to stop the hidden tax,” he said, adding that excess funds should be returned to utility customers as a rate cut or refund.

On the campaign trail, Woodall has consistently raised concerns about Alabama’s high power rates. He has highlighted fees charged to customers who generate most of their own electricity but remain connected to the grid for backup. “Georgia Power charges $5 a month, but cross the State line and Alabama Power charges $10,” Reforming the “hidden tax” system is a top priority. “We need to stop it,” he said, arguing that the roughly $33 million collected over the past four years should have been returned to the people who paid it.

Woodall’s professional background includes service as an Assistant Attorney General, an Assistant United States Attorney, and chief of staff for a PSC commissioner. He and his wife, Marie, and their children, Hannah and Daniel, reside in Colbert County.

For more information on Brent Woodall and his campaign, follow him on Facebook.