Candidates Vie To Be Insurance Commissioner
The Republican and Democratic candidates for insurance commissioner are foregoing campaign contributions from insurance industry groups, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the Democratic nominee for insurance commissioner, in June announced that he would return campaign contributions to insurance groups. About $150,000 of the $1.5 million in contributions his campaign had received were from insurance interests.
Steve Poizner (R), a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, has declined donations from insurance groups throughout the campaign. He has used at least $2.5 million of his personal funds in the campaign and said he expects his campaign will spend about $11 million in total.
Bustamante said he hopes to raise about $3 million for his campaign.
Four other candidates also are seeking the position:
- Jay Burden, American Independent Party;
- Larry Cafiero, Green Party;
- Tom Condit, Peace and Freedom party; and
- Dale Ogden, Libertarian Party (Lifsher, Los Angeles Times, 10/2).
California's "next insurance commissioner must be independent, with a clear set of responsible policy goals and the experience to run an important state agency," a Sacramento Bee editorial states, concluding, "That description fits Poizner better than the familiar Bustamante" (Sacramento Bee, 10/2).
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