Eric Skrmetta

Republican Party

Candidate, U.S. Senate Louisiana

Louisiana Public Service Commission District 1

Tenure

2009 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

17

Compensation

Base salary

$54,300

Elections and appointments

Last election

December 5, 2020

Next election

May 16, 2026

Education

High school

Brother Martin High School

Bachelor's

Louisiana State University, 1981

Other

Tulane University Law School, 1986

Law

Southern University Law School, 1985

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Official website

Official X

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Eric Skrmetta (Republican Party) is a member of theLouisiana Public Service Commission, representingDistrict 1. He assumed office on January 1, 2009. His current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Skrmetta (Republican Party) is running for election to theU.S. Senate to represent Louisiana. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled onMay 16, 2026.^[source]

Skrmetta was elected by his fellow elected commissioners to serve as chairman in January of 2013, replacing former chairFoster Campbell (D).^[1]

Skrmetta wasan at-large delegate to the2016 Republican National Convention fromLouisiana. Skrmetta was one of 18 delegates from Louisiana bound by state party rules to supportDonald Trump at the convention.^[2] As of July 13, 2016, Trump had approximately1,542 delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates. Trump formally won the nomination on July 19, 2016.

Biography

Skrmetta has been a practicing attorney since 1985, and a practicing mediator since 1989. He is active in Republican State Central Committee District 81, along with numerous community, civic and religious organizations.^[3]

Education

• Graduate, Brother Martin High School
• B.S., Louisiana State University (1981)
• J.D., Southern University Law School (1985)
• LLM, Tulane University Law School (1986)^[4]

Political career

Louisiana Public Service Commission (2009-present)

Skrmetta has represented District 1 on the Louisiana Public Service Commission since 2009. He was elected commission chairman by the five elected members of the commission in January of 2013.^[1]

Notable endorsements

See also:Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

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Elections

2026

See also: United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2026

Beginning in the 2026 elections, Louisiana elections for U.S. Congress, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education use aclosed partisan primary and primary runoff system. Candidates for those offices no longer run inmajority-vote system primaries.

General election

The primary will occur on May 16, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. Senate Louisiana

Jamie LaBranche (Independent) is running in the general election for U.S. Senate Louisiana on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Jamie LaBranche (Independent) (Write-in)

---

	There are noincumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Louisiana

Tracie Burke (D),Jamie Davis (D), andJabarie Walker (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Louisiana on May 16, 2026.

		Candidate
		Tracie Burke
		Jamie Davis
	Submit photo	Jabarie Walker

---

	There are noincumbents in this race.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Louisiana

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Louisiana on May 16, 2026.

		Candidate
		Bill Cassidy
		Randall Arrington
	Submit photo	Markeda Cottonham
		Tracy Dendy
		John Fleming
		Chris Holder
		Xan John
		Julia Letlow
		Joshua Morott
		Eric Skrmetta
		Samuel Wyatt

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Julie Emerson (R)
• Blake Miguez (R)
• Kathy Seiden (R)

Endorsements

2020

See also: Louisiana Public Service Commission election, 2020

Louisiana elections use themajority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

General election

General election for Louisiana Public Service Commission District 1

IncumbentEric Skrmetta defeatedAllen Borne Jr. in the general election for Louisiana Public Service Commission District 1 on December 5, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eric Skrmetta (R)	61.8	55,987
		Allen Borne Jr. (D)	38.2	34,639

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 90,626
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Public Service Commission District 1

The following candidates ran in the primary for Louisiana Public Service Commission District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eric Skrmetta (R)	31.3	134,900
✔		Allen Borne Jr. (D)	24.9	107,174
		J. Kevin Pearson (R)	14.0	60,189
		John Mason (R)	13.4	57,652
	Submit photo	Richard Sanderson II (R)	8.2	35,502
	Submit photo	John Schwegmann (Independent)	5.5	23,707
		William Boartfield Jr. (G)	2.8	11,890

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 431,014
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2014

See also:Louisiana down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Skrmetta ran for re-election to his seat on thePublic Service Commission, representing District 1 in 2014. The election took place November 4, 2014, though Skrmetta andForest Wright could not win 50 percent of the vote total. Both candidates advanced to a general election on December 6, with Skrmetta winning another term in office.

Results

General election

Public Service Commissioner of Louisiana, District 1 General Election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Eric SkrmettaIncumbent	50.8%	120,032
	Republican	Forest Wright	49.2%	116,042
Total Votes				236,074
Election results viaLouisiana Secretary of State Vote totals above are unofficial and reflect 100% precincts reporting.

Primary

Public Service Commissioner of Louisiana, District 1, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Forest Wright	38.4%	99,515
	Republican	Eric SkrmettaIncumbent	37%	95,742
	Republican	Allen "Al" Leone	24.6%	63,622
Total Votes				258,879
Election results viaLouisiana Secretary of State

Race background

Ethics concerns for Skrmetta

The Times-Picayune published a report on August 5, 2014, detailing an email exchange between Commissioner Skrmetta and Andrew B. Ezell from the Gulf State Renewable Energies Industry Association. This exchange reportedly included a request by Skrmetta for the organization's support ahead of the November election in exchange for his vote in support of more lenient metering policies in Louisiana. Ezell sent the request to members of the association on August 2, only four days prior to commission hearings about lifting the state's limit on payments to consumers using solar panels.^[5]

Skrmetta denied wrongdoing or an exchange of favors with solar energy firms following the paper's report. He noted inThe Times-Picayune that the commission needed to review metering policy due to concerns about the potential bankruptcy of an unnamed solar firm based in the state. He faced criticism from challengerForest Wright (R) and fellow commissionerFoster Campbell (D), though ultimately won re-election in the December general election.

Wright, an energy policy advocate based in New Orleans, cited Skrmetta's email as a motivation for his 2014 campaign. Wright and Skrmetta supported lighter regulations on solar installation firms, though Wright was concerned about the allegedquid pro quo involved in Skrmetta's email. He previously sought the District 2 seat on the board in 2012. Campbell, who won re-election to the District 5 seat, was vocal in opposing changes to existing metering policy and alleged that Skrmetta's behavior was "borderline illegal."^[5][6]

Issues background

Energy policy is a major issue in Louisiana. To learn more, see "Energy policy in Louisiana."

Net metering

Net metering is a billing system where customers who generate their own electricity, usually using renewable sources, such as solar panels, are able to sell their excess electricity back to the grid. This requires electricity to be able to flow both to and from the consumer. According to theDatabase of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency "net metering is required by law in most U.S. states, but state policies vary widely."^[7] In some states, consumers generating excess power are compensated at the full retail rate, while other states compensate individual producers at the wholesale rate. Retail electricity rates are the final prices paid by consumers and include the all the costs of that electricity, from generation to delivery. Wholesale electricity rates "include the cost of the fuel used to generate electricity and the cost of buying the power," but do not include the costs of transporting or delivering electricity.^[8]

• Proponents of net metering argue the system is beneficial because it promotes renewable energy and incentivizes consumers to produce their own electricity, which they argue is more efficient. Consumers are often drawn to this program because they can save money by generating their own electricity (as opposed to buying it from a utility company), and they can even receive credit back on their electricity bill for the excess electricity they generated.^[9]

• Opponents of net metering argue that customers who sell their electricity back to the grid at the full electricity price are not paying for the fixed costs associated with power generation, such as wires, poles, meters and other infrastructure. According to these opponents, consumers producing their own energy are often still using power supplied by a utility company when their own generation isn't sufficient. For example, on cloudy days those with solar panels must rely on the grid system for electricity. Instead, opponents argue that consumers should be paid the wholesale price for electricity.^[8]

In Louisiana, the commercial, residential and agricultural sectors can utilize net metering forsolar,wind,biomass,hydroelectric, small hydroelectric, renewable fuel cells, geothermal electric and microturbines. Utilities in Louisiana pay the full retail rate for electricity generated from net metering, but once net metering purchases exceed 0.5 percent of a utility's retail peak load they no longer have to offer net metering.^[10] Entergy, which serves approximately 1.07 million electric customers in Louisiana, had already reached 75 percent of its 0.5 percent cap on net metering purchases by February 28, 2014.^[11][12]

Endorsements

Skrmetta earned the endorsements of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state Republican Party and the Louisiana Sheriff's Organization prior to the November election.^[13] Wright received the endorsement of primary candidateAllen "Al" Leone (R) ahead of the general election.^[14]

Commission as launching pad

The Louisiana Public Service Commission has served as a stepping stone to higher office in Louisiana. The following chart details past commissioners who eventually won election to thegovernor's office:^[15][16]

Former commissioners who became governors
Name	Party	Commission service	Gubernatorial service
Huey Long	Democratic	1918-1928	1928-1932
Jimmie Davis	Democratic	1942-1944	1944-1948, 1960-1964
John McKeithen	Democratic	1955-1964	1964-1972
Kathleen Blanco	Democratic	1989-1996	2004-2008

2008

Skrmetta won election to Louisiana Public Service Commission District 1 on November 4, 2008.^[17]

Louisiana Public Service Commission, District 1, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Eric Skrmetta	59.8%	222,272
	No Party Affiliation	John F. Schwegmann	40.2%	149,227
Total Votes				371,499
Election results viaLouisiana Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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You can ask Eric Skrmetta to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing eric@ericskrmetta.com.

2020

Eric Skrmetta did not completeBallotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

2016 Republican National Convention

Skrmetta wasan at-large delegate to the2016 Republican National Convention fromLouisiana. He was bound by state party rules to supportDonald Trump at the convention.^[18]

Delegate rules

See also:RNC delegate guidelines from Louisiana, 2016 andRepublican delegates from Louisiana, 2016

At-large and congressional district delegates from Louisiana to the2016 Republican National Convention were elected at the Louisiana Republican Party State Convention. 2016 Louisiana GOP bylaws required district-level and at-large delegates to support the candidate to whom they were allocatedthrough the first round of voting at the national convention. The rules stated that if a candidate "ends or suspends" his or her campaign, the delegates allocated to him or her are no longer bound. Because of Louisiana GOP allocation rules, two at-large delegates were allowed to be elected as uncommitted delegates.

Louisiana Primary results

See also:Presidential election in Louisiana, 2016

Louisiana Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Jeb Bush	0.7%	2,145	0
Ben Carson	1.5%	4,544	0
Chris Christie	0.1%	401	0
Tim Cook	0.1%	219	0
Ted Cruz	37.8%	113,968	18
Carly Fiorina	0.1%	243	0
Lindsey Graham	0.1%	152	0
Mike Huckabee	0.2%	645	0
John Kasich	6.4%	19,359	0
Peter Messina	0%	48	0
Rand Paul	0.2%	670	0
Marco Rubio	11.2%	33,813	0
Rick Santorum	0.1%	180	0
Donald Trump	41.4%	124,854	25
Totals		301,241	43
Source:Louisiana Secretary of State andThe New York Times

Delegate allocation

See also:Republican National Convention, 2016 and2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Louisiana had 46 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 18 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's six congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally in accordance with the vote in a given district.^[19][20]

Of the remaining 29 delegates, 25 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were not required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.^[19][20][21]

Personal

Note: Pleasecontact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Skrmetta and his wife, Debbie, have two children.^[22]

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot?U.S. CongressU.S. Congress special electionsState executivesState legislaturesState courtsBallot measuresMunicipal governmentSchool boardsElection analysis hub

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External links

Footnotes

	v • e State ofLouisiana Baton Rouge (capital)
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