California Insurance Commissioner election, 2026
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| California Commissioner of Insurance |
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| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 6, 2026 |
| Primary: June 2, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
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California is holding an election for insurance commissioner on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline was March 6, 2026.
June 2 primary election
Ballotpedia identified the June 2 primary as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election here
Seven candidates are running in the top-two primary for insurance commissioner of California on June 2, 2026. Five have led in media attention: Ben Allen (D), Steven Bradford (D), Jane Kim (D), Stacy Korsgaden (R), and Patrick Wolff (D). Incumbent Ricardo Lara (D) is term-limited and is retiring from public office.
The Sacramento Bee's Stephen Hobbs wrote, "The race for California governor is going to get most of the attention. But the campaign to become the state’s next insurance commissioner might be almost as consequential."[1]
Wildfires across the state have affected insurance policies in recent years. CalMatters' Levi Sumagaysay wrote that wildfires "were a factor in insurance companies canceling homeowner policies or refusing to write new ones ... Many survivors of last year’s Los Angeles County fires are struggling to rebuild; they have sued insurance companies ... Many homeowners are continuing to turn to the last-resort FAIR Plan, which has seen a 146% increase in the number of policies since 2022."[2] Additionally, some insurers have been accused by lawmakers of intentionally denying or delaying action on claims.[3]
Allen has served as a state Senator since 2014. He says as commissioner, he would "demand transparency in rate filings, push back on increases that aren’t supported by the facts, and ensure insurers properly account for risk-reduction efforts."[4] Allen says he wants to implement more fire mitigation measures and will "push for neighborhood-scale fire prevention and risk reduction programs that lower losses across entire communities and make it possible for insurers to responsibly write policies again."[5] Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has endorsed Allen.[6]
Bradford served in the state Senate from 2016 to 2024. He says that as commissioner, he would improve efficiency by "reviewing rate filings by increasing the rate review team, eliminating non-productive administrative hurdles ... and concentrating on eliminating the uncertainty and friction [in the current process.]"[7] Bradford also says he wants to offer residents premium reductions to make their homes more resilient to disasters. His website says, "I’ll make sure that when families take action to reduce their risk ... they get real, guaranteed premium discounts."[8] Former Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D) has endorsed Bradford.[9]
Kim is a former San Francisco supervisor. She says she supports a state-run insurance plan called Disaster Insurance for All. Kim's website says the plan "would address climate disaster instead of avoiding it. The private insurance business model is to avoid losses, not to reduce risk ... A public insurer would invest in prevention and resiliency, and the public would benefit with fewer claims to pay out."[10] Kim supports capping insurance executive pay, and says, "We can do a far better job reining in profiteering and price gouging, and it is essential to restoring trust and affordability."[11] Kim is also affiliated with the Working Families Party, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has endorsed her.[12][13]
Korsgaden is an insurance agent. Her website says she wants to bring new insurers into the state to lower premiums and says she supports "innovation and encouraging capital investments so insurers can offer a variety of products."[14] Korsgaden also says the current number of regulations insurance companies face should be reduced: "As insurers are once again able to grow and write policies in California, coverage will shift back where it belongs, into the private market, restoring balance and choice for our community."[15] State Senate minority leader Brian Jones (R) has endorsed Korsgaden.[16]
Wolff is a financial analyst. In his response to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, Wolff said he wanted to increase transparency and would create a system "that grade[s] insurance companies on how they handle claims ... and he will require those grades to be shown to consumers before they buy a policy."[17] Wolff also said he wanted to create incentives for insurers to stay in high risk areas, which he said "means allowing them to use to predict risk using models that take climate change into account as a reality ... it means allowing them to factor in the cost of reinsurance ... and it means streamlining the rate filing review process so that insurance companies can get all normal rate filings [reviewed quicker]"[18] Ballotpedia was not able to identify any endorsements for Wolff.
Robert Howell (R) and Eduardo Vargas (Peace and Freedom Party) are also running.
A Democrat has held the position since 2011. Since the position became elected in 1990, all but one election have had a Democrat and a Republican candidate competing in the November general election.
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list of candidates is unofficial. The filing deadline for this election has passed, and Ballotpedia is working to update this page with the official candidate list. This note will be removed once the official candidate list has been added.
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California Commissioner of Insurance
The following candidates are running in the primary for California Commissioner of Insurance on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Ben Allen (D) | |
 | Steven Bradford (D) | |
| Robert Howell (R) | ||
 | Jane Kim (D) | |
 | Stacy Korsgaden (R) | |
 | Eduardo Vargas (Peace and Freedom Party)  | |
 | Patrick Wolff (D) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in California
Campaign finance
The section and tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
General election
General election for California Commissioner of Insurance
Incumbent Ricardo Lara defeated Robert P. Howell in the general election for California Commissioner of Insurance on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ricardo Lara (D) | 59.9 | 6,355,915 |
 | Robert P. Howell (R) | 40.1 | 4,249,391 | |
| Total votes: 10,605,306 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California Commissioner of Insurance
The following candidates ran in the primary for California Commissioner of Insurance on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ricardo Lara (D) | 35.9 | 2,414,744 |
| ✔ | | Robert P. Howell (R) | 18.1 | 1,216,322 |
 | Marc Levine (D) | 18.0 | 1,208,645 | |
 | Greg Conlon (R) | 16.2 | 1,086,683 | |
 | Eugene Allen (D) | 3.8 | 258,040 | |
 | Nathalie Hrizi (Peace and Freedom Party) | 2.8 | 190,414 | |
 | Veronika Fimbres (G) | 1.9 | 129,762 | |
| Jasper Jackson (D) | 1.9 | 124,955 | ||
| Robert Molnar (Independent) | 1.4 | 94,163 | ||
| Total votes: 6,723,728 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for California Commissioner of Insurance
Ricardo Lara defeated Steve Poizner in the general election for California Commissioner of Insurance on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ricardo Lara (D) | 52.9 | 6,186,039 |
 | Steve Poizner (Independent) | 47.1 | 5,515,293 | |
| Total votes: 11,701,332 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California Commissioner of Insurance
Steve Poizner and Ricardo Lara defeated Asif Mahmood and Nathalie Hrizi in the primary for California Commissioner of Insurance on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steve Poizner (Independent) | 41.0 | 2,569,254 |
| ✔ | | Ricardo Lara (D) | 40.5 | 2,538,478 |
 | Asif Mahmood (D) | 13.5 | 846,023 | |
| Nathalie Hrizi (Peace and Freedom Party) | 5.0 | 316,149 | |
| Total votes: 6,269,904 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Peter Kuo (R)
2014
| Insurance Commissioner of California, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Dave Jones Incumbent |
57.5% | 4,038,165 | |
| Republican | Ted Gaines | 42.5% | 2,981,951 | |
| Total Votes | 7,020,116 | |||
| Election results via California Secretary of State | ||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 71.9% of Californians lived in one of the state's 25 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 19.5% lived in one of 8 New Republican counties. Overall, California was Solid Democratic, having voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in California following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| California county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 25 | 71.9% | |||||
| New Republican | 8 | 19.5% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 23 | 8.0% | |||||
| Battleground Republican | 2 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 25 | 71.9% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 33 | 28.1% | |||||
Historical voting trends
California presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 16 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | P[19] | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in California.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of California
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in California.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of January 2026.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 43 | 45 |
| Republican | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 52 | 54 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor |  Gavin Newsom |
| Lieutenant Governor | Eleni Kounalakis |
| Secretary of State | Shirley Weber |
| Attorney General | Rob Bonta |
State legislature
California State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 30 | |
| Republican Party | 10 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
California State Assembly
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 60 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | |
Trifecta control
California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
The table below details demographic data in California and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| California | United States | |
| Population | 39,538,223 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 155,858 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 44% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.5% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 15.3% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 17.4% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 16.3% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 39.8% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 84.6% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 36.5% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $96,334 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 12% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| California | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Who’s running for California insurance commissioner in 2026?" February 1, 2026
- ↑ CalMatters, "California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act," March 5, 2026
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Lawmakers demand insurers explain tough requirements for payouts to wildfire victims," February 3, 2026
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Meet the insurance commissioner candidates: Sen Ben Allen," February 18, 2026
- ↑ CalMatters, "Candidate comment: After disasters, California should ensure people recover, not be forced out," January 8, 2026
- ↑ Ben Allen 2026 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 11, 2026
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Meet the insurance commissioner candidates: Steven Bradford," February 22, 2026
- ↑ Steven Bradford 2026 campaign website, "Vision," accessed March 11, 2026
- ↑ Steven Bradford 2026 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 11, 2026
- ↑ Jane Kim 2026 campaign website, "Jane Kim believes in Lower Costs," accessed March 11, 2026
- ↑ CalMatters, "Candidate comment: Insurers’ blockbuster profits enrich shareholders and CEOs, not customers," February 12, 2026
- ↑ Working Families Party, "WFP Endorses Jane Kim for California Insurance Commissioner," January21, 2026
- ↑ Jane Kim 2026 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 11, 2026
- ↑ Stacy Korsgaden 2026 campaign website, "A PLAN FOR CALIFORNIA ," accessed March 11, 2026
- ↑ CalMatters, "Candidate comment: California’s insurance crisis is pervasive but fixable," January 9, 2026
- ↑ Stacy Korsgaden 2026 campaign website, "Endorse Stacy for Insurance Commissioner," accessed March 11, 2026
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on December 10, 2025
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Meet the insurance commissioner candidates: Patrick Wolff," March 10, 2026
- ↑ Progressive Party
