Austin Lawson

Austin Lawson earned a high school diploma from Airline High School and attended Bossier Parish Community College. Lawson's career experience includes working in customer service.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm Austin Lawson. I'm a working class man who has lived in North Louisiana for his entire life, and i'm running to save the people of Louisiana money, to fight corruption on the Public Service Commission, and to fight big tech and their data centers.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

SAVING YOU MONEY

Via various policy, including introducing a PIPP rate, eliminating prison call rates, and forcing energy monopolies to reimburse you when our already inconsistent power goes out. I will also work to introduce a consumer advocacy group within the PSC, their primary job of while will be to argue and advocate for the community, bringing a long needed representative of the people into this bureaucratic institution.FIGHTING CORRUPTION

I have committed to not take a dime of corporate money, and will challenge all fellow Commissioners to do the same. I will not sign an NDA from these companies, and will publicly leak any information the corporate monopolies, ESPECIALLY if its something that is going around to other Commissioners as well.FIGHTING DATA CENTERS

The push for data centers in north Louisiana has been rushed and will be destructive. The institutions made to advocate on our behalf have been bought out by big tech, in an attempt to allow them to pillage our communities of tax dollars, labor, electricity, and clean water. Data centers are BIG consumers of electricity, which is why I will work to set a custom rate for them, that changes based on the amount of power they use, minimizing the effects on average peoples electricity bills. We will also force them, and the energy monopolies, to foot the bill of any infrastructure upgrades the data centers necessitate.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Economic, Consumer Protection, and Anti-Corruption.

Campaign websiteLawson's campaign website stated the following:My PlatformIts straightforward, and for the people. Best of all, it also happens to be great policy!SAVING YOU MONEYLike most of Louisiana, I have felt the impact of rising electricity prices. As commissioner, I will reject rate increases and champion policies to lower your bills. I believe those who make less should pay less and that power-hungry consumers, like data centers, should pay their fair share.FIGHTING CORRUPTIONLouisiana’s PSC has taken over $3.5 million from utility monopolies and their lobbyists. I will always reject money from the industries I am trusted to oversee. As commissioner, I will work to create new ethics standards and a permanent consumer protection office within the PSC.TAKING ON BIG TECH AND THEIR DATA CENTERSFrom New York City to Silicon Valley, the billionaire elite buy our politicians and threaten our freedoms. Every year, Louisiana’s PSC approves billions for these investors, paid by you. At the same time, commissioners give out sweetheart deals for Big Tech’s data center expansion plans. As commissioner, I will always prioritize your pocketbook over billionaires' profits. SAVING YOU MONEYLouisianans spend more of their paychecks on energy bills than residents of most other states. This unfair system was created by decades of bad policies pushed by utility company lobbyists and approved by out-of-touch politicians. As your commissioner, I will return the focus of the PSC to working families, making sure you keep more of your hard-earned money. Here’s how I’ll slash your bills:Policy​Policy 1: Providing PIPP rates for Power:Providing PIPP for Power: A Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) is a straightforward program that would lower utility bills for many Louisianians. Put simply, PIPP ensures that those who make less pay less for gas and electricity. This works by tying payments to a family’s income level instead of rates set by energy monopolies. While this might sound too good to be true, states like Ohio have run successful PIPP programs for decades.Policy 2: Making them Pay when Power Fails:If you live in Louisiana, you likely expect power outages anytime there’s a major storm. In fact, our state ranks amongst the worst in the nation for grid reliability. It’s time to make our energy monopolies pay a price for grid failure. The PSC should establish enforceable reliability standards with automatic rate credits when utilities fail to provide consistent service. This incentivizes utilities to keep the lights on, and pays you directly when the power goes out.Policy 3: Lowering Fees for Prison Calls:The PSC has the power to cut bills beyond just utilities, including how much you pay to communicate with incarcerated loved ones. Today, a quick 15 minute phone call can cost over $1.50, a rate set by a single company with monopoly power. Your PSC commissioner can change this. By lowering or even eliminating the prison phone fee, we can directly impact recidivism and inmate violence while removing an unnecessary financial burden on Louisiana families. FIGHTING CORRUPTIONLouisiana’s politics has long been run by a good ole boys club of both parties and their big business donors. I believe in a new kind of politics, one that puts every-day Louisianans first. On the PSC, this means valuing citizens’ input over campaign contributions and “advising” from utility monopolies, lobbyists, and corporate lawyers. Here’s how I’ll cut the corruption problem off at the root:Policy​Policy 1: Refusing Corporate Money:This one is simple—I will never accept campaign contributions, lobbyist lunches, or any special treatment from utility monopolies or other industries the PSC regulates. Don’t believe this is a problem? If your gas bill went up after the switch to Delta Utilities, you can thank the private equity firm Bernhard Capital Partners. They gave commissioners over $200,000 in donations before the PSC approved their acquisition. Enough is enough!Policy 2: Establishing Ethics & Transparency Standards:While personal pledges are a good start, Louisianans should demand more from their PSC. This means establishing new ethics and transparency rules around public reporting, financial disclosures, and business deals. The work of the PSC should always be quick to access and easy to understand. On the PSC, I will never sign an NDA and challenge all fellow commissioners to do the same.Policy 3: Creating a Public Advocate:Louisiana is one of three states without a permanent and publicly funded representative for consumers’ interests at the PSC. That means your commissioners often only hear one side of the story: requests for rate increases from utility monopolies. Creating a permanent consumer protection office with a public advocate will not only guard against utilities’ influence over the PSC but also save Louisianans money.TAKING ON BIG TECH AND THEIR DATA CENTERSAcross the state, Louisianans are confronting the trillion-dollar corporations and the billionaire class that steal our attention, control the economy, and fuel our political divides. I believe the PSC has an important role to play in curbing their influence. From cutting corporate profits to stopping giant data centers, the PSC can challenge the elites while charting an affirmative vision for Louisiana. Here’s how I’ll protect working Louisianans’ liberties and livelihoods:Policy​Policy 1: Holding Data Centers Accountable:While we all want economic growth and innovation, the PSC must ensure Big Tech brings progress to Louisiana, not scams. As your commissioner, I will push for data centers to pay 100% of dedicated infrastructure costs with no rate increases for you. These massive companies must be held accountable with transparent commitments for community investment, job training programs, and clean energy buildouts. Policy 2: Reducing Return on Equity:Every year, the PSC approves utility monopolies’ Return on Equity—how much profit you pay their investors each month on your bill. While Louisianans struggle to keep the lights on, these utility companies collect over $50 billion annually in excess profits. The PSC must act to crack down on profiteering by cutting ROE for all utility monopolies. I pledge to vote down all rate increases until corporate profits are cut. Policy 3: Promoting Public Power:Though today Louisiana is dominated by profit-hungry utility monopolies, our future does not have to be this way. Together, we can establish public power, utilities owned by and operated for all Louisianans. The PSC can chart the regulatory path for municipalized utilities, taking our successful rural electric co-ops as models. Together we can generate power not for profit, but for thriving local communities.— Austin Lawson's campaign website (May 12, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.