Democrats’ national playbook surfaced in the candidate forum between Republican Caddo Parish Commissioner John Atkins and Democrat City Councilor James Green.

They contest the Public Service Commission District 5 seat, which stretches across north Louisiana. Incumbent Democrat Foster Campbell faces the three-term (18 years) limit at year’s end, although he served an additional one after being grandfathered in.

Atkins works in asset management, principally in energy. He has served the three-term limit on the Commission and is due to leave office at the end of 2027. His latest campaign financial disclosure, which doesn’t include anything from regulated utilities since he eschewed publicly donations from them, isn’t hurting with nearly half a million bucks bankrolled through late last month.

Green seems to do a bit of everything. He founded a church decades ago and has run it ever since, and has dabbled in writing, recording music, and selling beard products (he has an impressive one). He has served on the Council off and on for over 30 years, but his latest stretch bumps up against the two-term limit at the end of this year. His campaign financial disclosure shows no utility donations even as he said he would take them, and hardly any others as well except a couple of high-dollar (most appear to come from party bundling of very small donations nationally). With little money coming in, little has gone out, and that is reflected in his having on hand fewer than $5,000.

In other words, Green runs because (even in his mid-seventies) he wants another job in politics and Democrats needed at least a semi-credible candidate to run (the opponent he defeated in the primary months ago was not a quality candidate). Given that six years ago Campbell barely defeated Republican Ouachita Parish Police Juror Shane Smiley who hardly campaigned, even if Green were a more serious candidate against Atkins’ stout campaigning he would be a long shot. He’s a placeholder there to prevent Atkins from getting a free ride.

Still, at the forum, sponsored by local chambers of commerce and local media stations at the end of last month, he tried to get in a few licks, principally on data centers. The PSC has great sway over siting requirements for these energy-intensive economic development engines, and because of the increased interest in the state as a location for these, the PSC last year instituted a “lightning” protocol to fast-track center approval that could cut the usual time involved down to just eight months.

Until recently, climate alarmists seemed to be the only ideologues trying to shunt away centers by stumping for onerous regulation of these, with the goal of preventing the widespread uptick in fossil fuel usage that could be the only way to power them. Renewable energy would be far too intermittent and more expensive, so burgeoning centers pose a major threat to their ideology.

Fortunately for leftist candidates’ prospects, public opinion, partially in response to certain untrue scare stories, has turned more negative on centers. Republicans in particular have gone from a solid majority favoring to a toss-up on that issue. Green exploited this by declaring a moratorium should be instituted on their siting statewide, saying enough were on the way. Even Atkins advocated for increased due diligence by the PSC on the issue.

But Green showed his true big government, climate alarmism colors when he argued for greater use of solar power for centers – which can’t possibly work given the intermittency involved that would require fossil fuel backup and enormously expensive batteries – as well as making power providers spend more on consumer conservation programs. To ensure affordability, Atkins more sensibly suggested keeping close watch on regulated utilities to ensure they didn’t spend and expense to customers outside the remit allowed by the PSC.

Atkins may win going away, but Democrats will make him work for it.