Nearly all national media discussion of Arizona this cycle has focused on its competitive US Senate and governor races. But the race for two spots on a little-known commission that regulates utilities in the state and a ballot initiative that would crack down on untraceable political spending could have huge ramifications across the country — especially for candidates and ballot initiatives that run up against corporate interests with oil and gas ties.

All of these developments revolve around Sandra Kennedy, a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission (usually shortened to CorpCom), which regulates state utilities. During her time in office, Kennedy, a Democrat, consistently voted against the interests of utility companies, notorious for pushing rate increases on consumers and blocking solar energy in the sunniest state in the nation, and was on the receiving end of millions of dollars in spending against her from the state’s largest utility, Arizona Public Service (APS), in 2014.

That money was only revealed once Kennedy returned to the commission in 2019 and a bipartisan coalition forced the utility to disclose the full extent of its political activity. Kennedy is now up for reelection in a tough race, joined with her running mate Lauren Kuby. They are facing opposition from climate skeptics and utility-industry allies as they run against Republicans for statewide seats.