Clean Energy Slate Wins Arizona SRP Board Majority Despite Turning Point Control of Top Positions

Record Voter Turnout Reshapes Arizona Public Utility Board in Surprise Election Result

Phoenix — In an election that defied expectations, Arizona voters delivered a surprise outcome at the Salt River Project (SRP), with clean energy advocates securing an 8-6 majority on the board that sets energy policy for one of the state's largest utilities.

The result comes after Turning Point USA, the conservative organization founded by Charlie Kirk, poured money and resources into the race, aiming to defeat green energy projects and build a conservative voter base. Despite Turning Point's aggressive get-out-the-vote campaign, the group's endorsed candidates won only six of 14 seats on the District board, which provides energy for more than 1 million Arizonans.

A Surge in Participation

The election saw more than 36,000 ballots cast for the power utility election alone, nearly five times the average of 7,500 votes over the past two elections, according to an SRP spokesperson.

The heightened interest followed significant financial involvement from Turning Point Action, which made the race a priority. The group waged a large-scale get-out-the-vote campaign and endorsed a slate of pro-industry candidates, many of whom have served on SRP's boards and councils for years.

But the surge in voters actually resulted in clean energy advocates flipping two board seats and gaining a majority. They had their own big money support from the Jane Fonda Climate PAC and a coalition of environmental and pro-renewable energy groups.

Control of Agendas Stays with Turning Point

The results came after a closely contested race that saw clean-energy candidate Sandra Kennedy win five board seats, while Turning Point-endorsed candidates Chris Dobson and Barry Paceley secured the board's president and vice president positions.

While losing the presidency, Kennedy retained a board seat she won in 2024. "I can say that the board members have just kind of been followers of management, so whatever management wanted, they got it," Kennedy said. "I think its a new day."

Dobson, who won the District president race by a significant margin, previously voted for a diverse resource mix and has told reporters that renewables will play a big part for the utility. He also noted that natural gas provides dispatchability and reliability compared to intermittent renewable energy sources.

Paceley won the vice president race over clean-energy candidate Casey Clowes, who also retained her seat on the board. Both Dobson and Paceley won by significant margins.

What This Means for Arizona

The newly elected board faces high-stakes decisions about how SRP will meet a power crunch. The utility, which serves more than 2 million people, will need to at least double its generation capacity over the next decade to meet a growing population and data center boom.

SRP also faces a mandate to reduce carbon intensity by 82 percent of 2005 levels by 2035 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. So far, the utility has been leaning on natural gas as a baseload resource. The utility is converting existing coal-fired units at two plants to run on natural gas and in 2023 gained approval to expand the Coolidge gas plant.

This year, the utility issued a request for proposals for up to 2,900 megawatts of new resources of all types, including natural gas and renewables. If all of that is built, that would increase SRP's fleet by more than 30 percent.

The new board will have to navigate these policy decisions while balancing competing interests from renewable energy advocates, fossil fuel proponents, and utility management.

Fighting for Voting Rights

Among the clean energy slate's priorities is changing the utility's archaic election rules that allow only landowners to vote, with more weight given to those with more acreage. The policy dates back to the utility's founding, when landowners put up financial backing for a dam project supporting reliable water in Phoenix and wanted a greater stake in its management.

"We've got an opportunity to make some huge policy decisions," said Kennedy, who is keeping her board seat. "I've got an opening for new renewable energy and storage, despite a traditionally gas-heavy portfolio."

The board is also facing a high-stakes moment on water supply with the drought-riddled Colorado River. Although SRP has its own water supply, central Arizona communities are legally vulnerable in a multi-state fight over access to Colorado River supplies and that could leave more communities reliant on SRP supplies.

Conservative Victory in Conservative Frame

Despite losing board control, Turning Point still called the election a win. The group's COO Tyler Bowyer said they "reached tens of thousands of new voters" and activated Republicans who otherwise wouldn't have voted.

"I think once the general public becomes even more aware of the priorities of the other board members, that will push the electorate even more to the right," Bowyer said after the results came in. "Bad energy policy has an impact on everyones day-to-day life. Shining a spotlight on that is a really good thing for Arizona Republicans."

Bowyer also noted that the group's success in turning out voters at the top of the ticket bodes well for engagement on resource issues heading into the midterms, where conservatives have endorsed candidates on the state's utility regulatory board.

"Everybody needs to be alert and awake that the way Arizona grows and Phoenix grows is up for public discussion," Bowyer said.

Final Results Coming Next Week

Final results are expected after an official canvass next week. The officials of both the Association and the District are elected on the first Tuesday in April every even-numbered year. The term of order for all positions is four years, and board members are elected to four-year staggered terms, meaning half the board and council seats are elected every two years.

The vice president and president positions run for election whenever the number of seats up for election is even, and the term of office for each elected position begins on the first Monday in May of every even-numbered year.

In order to vote in the SRP elections, the voter must own eligible land or have been appointed to vote on eligible land held in a qualifying trust. The ownership of land needs to be determined 100 days before the election, and the voter has to be 18 years or older.

For District voting, the person also has to live in and be registered to vote in Arizona.

The election results underscore the growing interest in Arizona's utility governance and the complex policy decisions facing public utilities as the state continues to grow and energy demand surges.