Georgia’s Hudgens Among New State Insurance Commissioners

The Nov. 2 elections will mean there will soon be a number of new insurance commissioners across the country.

Three states – Georgia, California, and Oklahoma-elected new insurance commissioners.

Republican state Sen. Ralph T. Hudgens will be the new Georgia insurance and fire safety commissioner. Hudgens defeated Democrat Mary Squires, garnering 54 percent of the vote to 42 percent for Squires.

Hudgens will succeed fellow Republican John Oxendine, who has served as commissioner since 2004. Oxendine decided to leave the post to run for governor but lost in the Republican primary.

Libertarian Shane Bruce came in a distant third in the Georgia insurance commissioner race.

Hudgens, a small business owner and former House Republican member (elected in 1996), has been in the state Senate since in 2002. He has served as chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee and vice chairman of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.

Hudgens has said his priorities will be: consumer education, fighting insurance fraud, and opposing Obamacare and expansion of the federal government.

According to Hudgens, the commissioner has the responsibility to create a level playing field for buyers and sellers of insurance products. “A good regulator blows the whistle and keeps all the players following the rules of the game. If a consumer knows the rules and is fully informed, I trust them to make the decision that is best for their family,” he told Insurance Journal in a recent survey.

He plans on being involved in opposing President Obama’s health care plan. “I am deeply concerned about the new federal health care take over. It is obvious that the Democrats just do not fundamentally believe in the power of the marketplace and consumer choice,” he said.

Nathan Deal, Republican, defeated Roy Barnes, Democrat, and John Monds, Libertarian, in the race to be Georgia’s new governor. Republicans won all of the statewide constitutional offices including attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and labor commissioner.

In California, there was an election to replace Steve Poizner. Bucking the nationwide Republican tide, Democratic Assemblyman Dave Jones beat Republican Assemblyman Mike Villines to replace Poizner.

Commissioner Kevin McCarty could be replaced soon in Florida. His appointment depends upon support from the next governor and one other member of the Florida Cabinet. His biggest backer, Gov. Charlie Crist, ran for and lost the race for U.S. Senate. Crist’s successor as governor, Republican health care executive Rick Scott, who beat Democrat CFO Alex Sink in a close race, is likely to want his own appointee in the commissioner post.

Florida also elected a new Chief Financial Officer, state Sen. Jeff Atwater, a Republican and former banking executive. The CFO is the state’s fire marshal and chief insurance fraud investigator in addition to financial and accounting watchdog. The CFO is a member of the Florida Cabinet and as such has a say in the appointment of the state insurance commissioner.

South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee are among the states where there will be new Republican governors and where there could eventually be a change in insurance regulators.

In West Virginia, where Jane Cline is commissioner, voters essentially chose a new state chief executive when they voted to send Gov. Joe Manchin to the U.S. Senate, but his Senate win has also raised questions. Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, Manchin’s fellow Democrat, will become acting governor sometime after officials certify the results. Some lawmakers, however, are calling for a special election to fill the remaining two years of Manchin’s term as governor.

Virginia, where an independent commission appoints the commissioner, will have a new regulator because incumbent Al Gross is retiring after 14 years at the job – unrelated to the elections.

Topics Florida Georgia