Best’s News & Research Service - October 20, 2015 04:13 PM (EDT)
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Donelon Faces Three Challengers in Primary
BATON ROUGE, La. //BestWire// - Two Republicans and a Democrat will try to unseat incumbent Republican Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon in the Oct. 24 blanket primary. If none of the candidates win a majority of the votes cast, the top two vote-getters will participate in a Nov. 21 runoff election to determine a winner.
Donelon, a Metairie resident, is trying to win his fourth term. He assumed the office after Commissioner J. Robert Wooley resigned in February 2006 and won a special election to finish out Wooley’s term that fall (Best’s News Service, Oct. 2, 2006). Donelon has since captured elections in 2007 and 2011. Donelon is a past president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, having served a one-year term as president in 2013.
He faces Republican Matt Parker, a West Monroe automobile repair business owner (Best’s News Service, March 4, 2015). He also faces two Democrat attorneys, Charlotte C. McDaniel McGehee (Best’s News Service, Sept. 1, 2015) and Donald Hodge Jr. (Best’s News Service, Sept. 11, 2015).
Parker said Louisiana residents need relief from high rates and has questioned why rates in other states — including some neighboring Gulf Coast states — are so much lower. Also, Parker has criticized Donelon’s acceptance of insurance industry campaign contributions.
McGehee, of Ascension Parish, ran because of concerns that Louisianans spend more than 18% of their median annual earnings on insurance. Louisiana, she said, has the nation’s second-highest health and homeowners’ premiums and the fourth-highest automobile insurance premiums. More competition, oversight and appropriate legislation would lower those rates, she told Best’s News Service.
Hodge, Jr. is making his second run to be insurance commissioner. Donelon defeated Hodge in the 2011 primary election with 67.5% of the vote when Hodge was the only other candidate (Best’s News Service, Oct. 23, 2011). Like Parker, Hodge has criticized Donelon’s acceptance of insurance industry contributions. Hodge also said he would reverse the position of Gov. Bobby Jindal by expanding Medicaid funding to 300,000 Louisianans who would qualify for it.
Donelon has a huge lead in finances. In his Oct. 14 campaign filing, reported $108,150 in contributions for the period and $348,565.65 still in hand. He received contributions from a number of insurance companies and got help from the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies Administrative Fund, which made a $2,000 contribution; and the Reinsurance Association of America, which contributed $3,500. He also got help from current and former insurance commissioners, including a $2,000 contribution from Jim Ridling of Alabama, $5,000 from the Friends of Ralph Hudgens, Insurance Commissioner from Georgia and $1,000 from Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer. Former Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Leonardi also contributed $5,000.
Parker reported receiving $6,750 for the period, along with $24,573 in loans from his personal funds for a total of $31,323.76, with $3,869.42 in hand. McGehee reported contributions and loans totaling $5,781.86 for the reporting period, with $18,335 still in hand. Hodge reported no contributions for the latest reporting period, but had $13,325.17 at the end of the period.
(By Thomas Harman, Washington Bureau manager, BestWeek: Tom.Harman@ambest.com)