Best’s News & Research Service - September 11, 2024 02:39 PM (EDT)
Delaware Insurance Commissioner: Primary Margin Shows Value of Experience
DOVER, Del. //BestWire// - Sitting Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro prevailed over Kayode Abegunde in the state’s Sept. 10 Democratic primary for the commissioner position and will face Republican Ralph Taylor in the November general election.
Taylor ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
Navarro, who secured 73.96% of votes, said the primary results show voters understand the importance of having an insurance commissioner with experience. Moving into the general election, he will continue to leverage his eight years of experience as insurance commissioner to garner voter support.
“It takes years to understand the intricacies of this position,” Navarro said. “You really need a regulator who understands the complexity of the insurance market in today’s era.”
He said his experience in Delaware, as well as nationally, makes him the right person for the job.
Climate change is one of the most pressing issue facing policyholders in Delaware, Navarro said.
“We’re not a Gulf state and have typically been spared, knocking on wood, from large tropical storms. But we do get the remnants of tropical storms,” he said. “The frequency and severity of these storms have increased exponentially. We’re seeing thousand-year storms every couple of years now.”
Additionally, Navarro’s office recently set up a long-term care insurance unit, which helps consumers navigate these “increasingly confusing and complex” insurance products, the commissioner said in a statement (BestWire July 23, 2024).
The Delaware Insurance Department has not be free of controversy during Navarro’s time at the help as the office has face accusations of discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation by former employees (BestWire, Jan. 10, 2023). In June, a court found department leadership not guilt of allegations that retaliate against a former human resource director and controller (BestWire June 18, 2024).
While Navarro’s general election opponent does not have commissioner experience, Taylor does have more than three decades of civil service experience, according to the Republican candidate’s campaign website.
His background includes working as a police officer, and serving on the Capital School District Board, as well as the Dover City Council. Throughout his four-year tenure as a council member, Taylor chaired the Safety, Advisory and Transportation Committee.
In addition to his civil works, Taylor owns a pest control service with his wife, according to his campaign website.
Attempts to gain further comment from Taylor were not immediately successful.
(By Steve Hallo, senior associate editor, BestWire: Steve.Hallo@ambest.com)