Oklahoma Republican Insurance Commissioner Candidates Prep for Runoff
OLDWICK, N.J. //BestWire// - Former state lawmaker Marty Quinn and insurance professional and businessman Bob Sullivan are heading to an Aug. 25 runoff election to determine who will be the Republican candidate for insurance commissioner.
Following the June primary, Sullivan came away with 37.37% of votes, compared with 27.68% for Quinn, according to the Oklahoma State Elections Board. Oklahoma’s primary rules require candidates to secure a majority of the votes, according to the election board. If this does not occur, the two candidates with the most votes move to a runoff.
Although he trailed Sullivan at the primary, Quinn said he garnered a significant number of voters, and his campaign has a “really good message about protecting consumers and making prices affordable.”
In addition to serving in both chambers of Oklahoma’s legislature, Quinn said he spent more than 40 years growing a local insurance agency. He also touted his youth working on a poultry and cattle farm and family restaurant as providing him with vast experience in the “people business.”
If elected commissioner, Quinn would focus on increasing competition among home insurers, improving accountability and transparency and enhancing the claim experiences.
Sullivan’s insurance experience spans from being a certified insurance counselor and risk manager to a chartered property/casualty underwriter, according to his campaign website. He is also an associate in fidelity and surety bonding.
To improve market conditions as commissioner, Sullivan would work to recruit A-rated carriers to the state, institute tort reforms, heighten enforcement against uninsured drivers and push for emergency authority to freeze rates.
“Our goal is simple: Make Oklahoma one of the best states in America for affordable, reliable insurance — where families can protect what they’ve built and businesses can grow without being punished by premiums,” Sullivan said in a statement.
Quinn’s residency in Oklahoma has raised a bit of intrigue in the commissioner’s race, with questions swirling around time he spent living in Arkansas several years ago to care for aging parents (BestWire, July 17, 2026).
Quinn expressed disappointment that caring for family would be used as a political attack, saying in a statement: “I understand that some may try to use that chapter of our lives to create doubt about my candidacy, but I trust Oklahoma voters to recognize the difference between false political messaging and the truth.”
Oklahoma requires candidates for the commissioner role to live in Oklahoma for at least five years, Quinn said.
However, the state’s constitution and statutes do not require those five years to be immediately prior an election.
Before launching his campaign, Quinn received clarification on this from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, which confirmed that nothing in the state’s constitution or statutes require residency to be immediately preceding an election or consecutive.
The winner of the runoff will face Craig MacIntyre, the only Democratic candidate in the race. MacIntyre has worked in the insurance world off and on since 1993, primarily on the carrier side in actuarial, product development, risk management, and legislative and government relations, he said in an email.
The Oklahoma candidates are hoping to replace current Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready, who is term limited.
(By Steve Hallo, senior associate editor, BestWire: Steve.Hallo@ambest.com)