Kansas Insurance Commissioner

  

The election for Kansas Insurance Commissioner has generated sparce news coverage and even less attention from voters.

The 2022 race for Insurance Commissioner pits incumbent Republican Vicki Schmidt, of Topeka, against long-shot Democratic candidate Kiel Corkran, of Olathe.

The Insurance Commissioner leads the Kansas Insurance Department, which regulates insurance companies, educates consumers, and advocates for a competitive insurance market.

 

Vicki Schmidt

Vicki Schmidt worked for more than 40 years as a pharmacist. 

Schmidt was elected to the Kanas Senate, where she served as the Chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee and as a member of the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee.

 

In 2018, Schmidt narrowly defeated former State Senator Clark Shultz in the Republican primary. 

Schmidt received 52% of the vote. Shultz received 48%.

 

 

The Kansas City Star Editorial Board endorsed Schmidt in the 2018 general election.

“Her professional experience, coupled with her years in the Legislature should prepare her to hit the ground running as insurance commissioner,” the editorial board wrote. 

The Star editorial cited Schmidt’s work in the legislature on KanCare, the Kansas Medicaid program.

“A moderate, Schmidt is widely respected by other lawmakers. She has a history of working across party lines. She supports Medicaid expansion and served on a bipartisan KanCare oversight committee that pushed, and finally filled, the long-vacant inspector general position in charge of the health care program for the poor,” the board wrote.

 

In the 2018 general election, Schmidt easily beat her Democratic opponent Nathaniel McLaughlin. Schmidt won the race by a margin of 26%.

Schmidt received 63% of the vote, and McLaughlin received 37%.

During the 2018 campaign, Schmidt told the Topeka Capital-Journal that she supported expanding the state’s Medicaid program.

According to the Kansas Insurance Department’s website, Schmidt currently serves on committees within the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and serves on the National Insurance Producer Registry board. 

Schmidt ran unopposed in the 2022 Republican primary, where she received 407,000 votes. 

 

Kiel Corkran 

Kiel Corkran has far less experience related to the insurance industry.

Corkran worked as a paraeducator at Manhattan Alternative High School, a visual data analyst for Sperry Rail Service, and a tax-examining technician for the IRS. 

Corkran served as the treasurer of the Kansas City Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. He also served as a loading dock manager for Flourish Furnishings, a charity that provides furniture to low-income people in Kansas City.

 

Corkran appeared on the Andrew Miller Show, a podcast that interviews third-party political candidates. Corkran’s interview was released on March 28.

Corkran criticized Schmidt for taking campaign contributions from insurance companies.

At the time, Corkran was running as an independent candidate endorsed by the Green Party.

During the interview, Corkran discussed his experiences working to collect petition signatures from voters that he needed to appear on the ballot.

Corkran said he tried working with the Kansas Democratic Party, but that he had a different vision than they did.

“They cared about keeping things the way they are, at least in Kansas, without making any radical changes,” he said. (Quoted section begins at 21:40) 

Corkran also said he ran into disagreements with Kansas democrats when he shared his belief that housing should be free.

“I don’t think housing should cost anything, period.” 

Corkran said the democrats he worked with told him that his position wasn’t popular.

Despite his differences of opinion with the Democratic Party, Corkran apparently changed his mind about running as an independent candidate. 

In August, Corkran ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, where he received 241,000 votes.

 

History 

The 2022 general election for Insurance Commissioner is unlikely to be close.

The position of Kansas Insurance Commissioner has been held by a Republican for the past 19 years, since 2003. 

The most recent Democratic Insurance Commissioner was Kathleen Sebelius, who held the office from 1995 to 2003.

After serving as Insurance Commissioner, Sebelius went on to serve as the governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009. 

In the last three contested general elections, the Republican candidate has defeated the Democratic candidate for Kansas Insurance Commissioner by an average of 27%.

 

 

How I plan to vote

Schmidt clearly has far more relevant experience than Corkran. 

She appears to be a moderate Republican, and she supports expanding Medicaid.

As far as I can tell, Corkran doesn’t have any experience related to the insurance industry.

Corkran had a campaign website that was available during the primary, but the site is currently private. 

 

Schmidt’s campaign website, however, is up and running. 

 

But it’s Corkran’s position that housing should be free that I find to be most significant. 

I believe that's an absolutely unworkable and utopian position, which would almost certainly create more harm than good if someone attempted to implement it.

It’s such a radical idea, I don’t even know how someone could even attempt to implement it.

Corkran doesn’t even as much as hint how he would propose it could be done.   

If Corkran engages in utopian thinking on housing, he might approach the responsibilities of insurance commissioner in a similar way.

I don’t believe that would be the right approach for the state.

 

I strongly favor Democrats over Republicans, but I choose who to vote for based on the candidates in each race.

I plan to vote for Democrats in the major races this November, but Insurance Commissioner will be one of the down-ballot races where I plan to vote for the Republican candidate.

Which means Vicki Schmidt will be one of the rare Republicans who will receive my vote this year. 

 

Post Script: I dare you to try to pronounce Flourish Furnishings. It's harder than it looks.