Chris Beeker announced today that he’s running to keep his seat on the Alabama Public Service Commission.

“I’m running to continue fighting for Alabama families, farmers, and energy freedom,” Beeker said in a news release. “From my work with President Trump at the USDA to my current role on the Public Service Commission, I have stood strong for Alabama values and America First policies. Now more than ever, we need conservative leadership to protect our way of life.”

Beeker, a Republican from Tuscaloosa, has held one of three seats on the commission since 2024. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey appointed him to the seat formerly held by his father, Chip Beeker, who stepped down for health reasons.

This will be Beeker’s first election for the public service commission. In the race for the Place 2 seat, he faces Brent Woodall, a former prosecutor from Tuscumbia.

Woodall announced his candidacy earlier this month and centered his campaign on what he calls the public service commission’s “hidden tax.” The commission charges a fee to utilities, one that Woodall said gets passed on to customers. He said sometimes the commission overcharges utilities and he’s calling for that money to be returned to consumers.

A representative for Beeker’s campaign declined a request for an interview with AL.com.

Prior to his appointment to the public service commission, Beeker served as the rural development director for Alabama in the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2017-2020. He also worked in banking and finance, according to his biography on the PSC website.

Beeker’s family owns Beeker Catfish and Cattle Farm in Greene County, where he is from originally. He also served as a board member for the Greene County Farmers Federation and chair of the Greene County Republican Party.

Beeker says he will advocate for “domestically produced energy” on the public service commission.

“Food security and energy security are national security. The future of Alabama’s energy sector must be built on strength, not weakness,” Beeker said. “Alabama needs leaders who will reject the radical left’s climate agenda and fight for our conservative values. We must implement policies that lower energy costs and put American workers first, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

In the month of June, Beeker raised $30,000 for his campaign so far, according to Alabama Secretary of State records. He received three $10,000 donations from the following political action committees: Alabama Development PAC, Pride PAC II, and T-Town PAC II.

Both Place 2 and Place 1 on the public service commission are up for reelection in 2026. Current Place 1 commissioner Jeremy Oden will face Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry in the race for Place 1.

Former PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh left the commission in May to take the rural development director position under President Donald Trump. She was replaced by Cynthia Lee Almond, a state representative from Tuscaloosa.