The Republicans are leading in the race to fill three open seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, the state’s utility regulating group. 

Republicans Rachel Walden, Rene Lopez and incumbent Commissioner Lea Marquez Peterson are hoping to create a supermajority on the commission and join Republican incumbents Kevin Thompson and Nick Meyers. The three have campaigned on maintaining the current course of the commission and letting the free market decide whether a shift to clean energy is feasible.

Democrats Ylenia Aguilar, Jonathon Hill and Joshua Polacheck, are trailing behind despite hopes to flip the partisan slant of the commission. The three have campaigned on issues like climate change, clean energy expansion and reduced utility rates. 

Walden, who currently has the highest votes of any candidates, has a 1% lead over the fourth-highest vote getter Aguilar. Votes are being split between three Republicans, three Democrats and two Green Party candidates. 

The commission oversees several issues, including utility rates, securities, business licenses and railroads – but its regulation of utility companies and their environmental impact is widely viewed as its most important role. It hasn’t seen a majority shift favoring Democrats in recent memory.

The two candidate slates have battled over the best way to reduce utility bills for ratepayers and whether clean energy sources like solar should be a priority. The current commission has been scrutinized for recent votes that have increased utility costs, walked back renewable energy goals and exempted a power plant expansion from environmental review. 

Current Commissioners Jim O’Connor, a Republican, and Anna Tovar, a Democrat, both decided not to run for re-election to the commission. Tovar told the Arizona Capitol Times in September that she believes the regulatory body needs “new leadership entirely.” 

The results of the race will have far-reaching impacts on pocketbooks and the environment for decades to come.