Kansas Senator, House Speaker Launch Insurance Commissioner Campaigns
TOPEKA, Kan. //BestWire// - A Democrat senator and the Kansas House speaker have launched bids to become the state’s next insurance commissioner.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from District 100, started a career in insurance in 1995 and has specialized in employee benefits and helping consumers navigate complex insurance issues, according to his campaign website.
Hawkins said his time working in the industry revealed one of the state’s primary drivers of insurance costs is a lack of options. If elected commissioner, Hawkins said he will remedy this by eliminating red tape and excessive regulations to attract more insurance options into the state.
He would also work to ensure the department is a good steward of tax money and fight fraud, which is another insurance cost driver, according to the campaign website.
Hawkins was first elected to the Kansas House in 2013 and has chaired the chamber’s Health Committee. He was elected majority leader in 2019 and tapped to serve as speaker in 2023.
Sen. Dinah Sykes, who represents District 21, said her priorities as commissioner would be affordability, transparency and consumer protection, according to her campaign website.
She was first elected to the state Senate in 2017 and currently serves as the minority leader in the chamber.
The Kansas insurance commissioner race will not feature current Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, who announced she would be running for governor (BestWire, July 11, 2025). Schmidt had hinted at her run for governor in the months leading up to the official announcement, telling BestWire in May 2025 she could not "go to the grocery store without someone asking me if I will run for governor."
(By Steve Hallo, senior associate editor, BestWire: Steve.Hallo@ambest.com)