Vicki Schmidt resoundingly reelected as Insurance Commissioner

 

In the race for Kansas Insurance Commissioner, incumbent Republican Vicki Schmidt has defeated Democratic challenger Kiel Corkran by 26%.

Vicki Schmidt received 63% of the vote, and Corkran received 37%. 

 

 

 

 

Vicki Schmidt had the largest margin of victory for any statewide candidate in Kansas this year.

This is true regardless of whether the margin is calculated by percent of the total vote or by the number of votes between the top two candidates.

Vicki Schmidt’s margin of victory, 26%, exactly matches the average margin of victory of the Republican candidates in the previous three most-recent contested elections for Insurance Commissioner.

 

In the final unofficial election results, Vicki Schmidt received 609,778 votes, more than any other statewide candidate in Kansas this year.

Corkran received 356,747 votes, less than any other major-party statewide candidate in Kansas this year. 

 

 

Vicki Schmidt won by a smaller margin than I predicted.

I predicted she would win by a margin of 40%.

Vicki Schmidt is an eminently qualified moderate Republican who supports expanding the Kansas Medicaid program.

Corkran, who previously served as the treasurer of the Kansas City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, had no relevant experience for the position of Insurance Commissioner.

I profiled the race for Insurance Commissioner in an article last month.

I endorsed and voted for Vicki Schmidt for Insurance Commissioner.

Corkran had almost no name recognition, and his campaign website wasn’t even publicly available in the month prior to the general election.

He may have received a few votes from people who knew him personally.  

But I believe almost the entirety of Corkran’s votes came from people who voted a straight Democratic ticket, without regards to the individual down-ballot candidates.

 

I believe Corkran’s total represents the floor for the minimum number of votes a statewide Kansas Democratic candidate could receive in a year that is relatively favorable for Democrats. 

It turns out that floor was 37%, rather than the 30% I predicted it would be.

I believe 2022 was a relatively good year for Kansas Democrats because of intense Democratic interest in the races for Governor and Attorney General.