Paul Nguyen

Draft. Last updated 2026-10-17. This contest is still being reviewed.

Insurance Commissioner

State 1 seat 2026-11-03

All Fullerton voters. This is a statewide office, so every voter in the city of Fullerton votes in this contest on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

What this office does

The insurance commissioner heads the California Department of Insurance. The Secretary of State's guide for this office says the department enforces California insurance laws, adopts regulations to implement those laws, licenses, regulates and examines insurance companies, and answers public questions and complaints about the insurance industry.

CalMatters reports the department regulates home, auto, life, health, workers' compensation and other insurance, with the commissioner tasked with making sure policies are available, that premiums are affordable and that companies deliver on their promises, and that the commissioner sets policy and writes rules either through the regulatory process or by working with state lawmakers on legislation.

Under the Proposition 103 rate system, the commissioner approves what insurers may charge for property and casualty coverage such as home, auto, commercial, renters, pet and travel insurance, and CalMatters reports the office cannot adjudicate a policyholder's individual claim dispute and cannot stand in for a private attorney, and that the commissioner may review health insurance policies and rate changes but cannot block health rate increases.

The commissioner can examine an insurer's conduct and order changes, and works with the Legislature on laws that compel insurers to act. The office does not set tax rates, adopt the state budget, or set local zoning, rents or utility rates. California is one of 11 states whose insurance commissioner is elected, under the 1988 initiative Proposition 103, and the current commissioner, Ricardo Lara, terms out in January 2027.

CalMatters reports the FAIR Plan, the last-resort pool of insurers required to sell fire insurance to property owners who cannot buy it elsewhere, had nearly 700,000 active policies as of June 2026, an increase of 157 percent since September 2022, and that average annual homeowners insurance premiums in California have risen 23 percent since 2023, based on an analysis by the comparison site Bankrate.com.S2S6S8

Contest context

  • Two candidates qualified for this contest. Ben Allen, Democratic, and Jane Kim, Democratic, advanced from California's June 2, 2026 top two primary, in which all candidates run on one ballot and the two highest vote getters move on. The Secretary of State's official Statement of Vote covering that primary records Kim at 2,328,836 votes, 27.4 percent, and Allen at 1,649,501 votes, 19.4 percent; the other nine candidates on the ballot received the remaining 4,521,487 votes, for 8,499,824 votes cast in the contest. The certified list names Allen and Kim, in that order, as the Insurance Commissioner candidates for the November 3, 2026 general election.S1S3S13
  • There is no incumbent in this contest. The certified list carries no incumbent designation for either candidate and Ballotpedia lists the race as having no incumbents. CalMatters reports the current commissioner, Ricardo Lara, who has headed the department for the past eight years and whose term ends in January, is not on this ballot.S1S8S13
  • This is the only statewide contest on the November 3, 2026 ballot that pits two candidates of the same party against each other. Mission Local reports it is the first time two Democratic candidates have appeared on the general election ballot for insurance commissioner, and Capitol Weekly reports the race is being read as a proxy fight within the California Democratic Party, describing Allen, the termed-out state senator from Santa Monica, as the candidate promising to continue the current commissioner's Sustainable Insurance Strategy, and Kim, the former San Francisco supervisor, as the change candidate promising to remake the state's insurance system.S6S10S11S12
  • Endorsements divide between the two candidates. CalMatters lists California Environmental Voters, California Professional Firefighters, the Sierra Club and the California Democratic Party for Allen, with the San Francisco Chronicle as a media endorsement, and SEIU California, the California Teachers Association, the California Faculty Association and the California Labor Federation for Kim. The Los Angeles Times reports Allen is endorsed by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, and Kim by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Controller Malia Cohen. Each candidate's own endorsement list is summarized in that candidate's entry below.S6S7S10S11S12
  • Money in the race. The Cal-Access committee summaries used for this entry report ALLEN FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2026; BEN raising $1,574,007.18 in contributions, with $698,620.95 in ending cash, and KIM FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2026; JANE raising $1,157,577.43, with $345,280.77 in ending cash, both for January 1 through September 19, 2026. CalMatters tables built from California Secretary of State data report about $2.21 million in contributions of $100 or more for Allen and about $1.33 million for Kim over the 2025 to 2026 cycle, and report that about 9 percent of the contributions it could categorize for Allen came from finance and insurance, against less than 5 percent for Kim, whose categorized contributions are 28 percent from unions. Independent expenditure reports summarized by CalMatters show about $994,593 spent supporting Allen and none opposing him, and about $556,208 spent supporting Kim against about $1,511,219 opposing her; Mission Local, using Secretary of State data as of October 14, 2026, reports roughly $2.2 million supporting Allen and none opposing him, and about $733,200 supporting Kim against about $1.5 million opposing her, and identifies the largest group backing Allen as linked to crypto billionaire Chris Larsen.S4S5S6S11
  • Both candidates submitted a candidate statement for the official voter guide, and both statements are printed on the Secretary of State's Insurance Commissioner candidate statements page. That page says the order of the statements was set by randomized drawing, and that the statements were supplied by the candidates, paid for by the candidates and not checked for accuracy by any official agency. Each statement is summarized in that candidate's entry below.S2
  • The two campaigns disagree publicly about insurance industry money. Kim's campaign publishes a page that says Allen has taken money from the insurance industry, lists 76 contributions to his committees from insurers, health plans, their political action committees and trade groups during his career, and says four insurer donations totaling $6,900 that arrived in his insurance commissioner committee were returned after news reports. Allen's voter guide statement says he is not taking any insurance company money, and Capitol Weekly reports Allen rejects the framing that he is the establishment candidate, while the same article reports Kim saying that Allen has cashed those checks 76 times in his career.S2S7S11S12S27
  • Mission Local and Capitol Weekly both report a Probolsky Research poll released in September 2026 that found Kim holding a small lead over Allen with more than half of voters undecided. Mission Local reports that because two Democrats are competing for the office, Republican and independent voters may decide the race.S11S12

Candidates

Listed in ballot order. Candidates are described with the same sections and level of detail; no ranking or endorsement is implied.

Ben Allen

Democratic California State Senator

Bio

  • The Secretary of State's certified list of candidates for the November 3, 2026 general election names Ben Allen, Democratic, with the ballot designation California State Senator.S1S13
  • The Los Angeles Times reports Allen is 48, represents the Palisades fire zone in the state Senate while serving his third and final term, is a Santa Monica native and resident, attended Harvard and earned a law degree from UC Berkeley, and previously served on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board.S10
  • His campaign says he was first elected to the state Senate in 2014 after serving as president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education and as a lecturer at UCLA Law School, that he chairs the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Environmental Protection and Energy and co-chairs the Legislature's Environmental Caucus, and that he lives in Santa Monica with his wife Melanie, an attorney, and their two children.S15
  • CalMatters reports Allen has served in the state Senate since 2014 and has a long record on environmental issues, and that the coastal district he represents includes Pacific Palisades, where many residents lost homes in the January 2025 fire, an event he says gave him a close view of how the insurance system failed homeowners.S6S7
  • Capitol Weekly reports Allen is termed out of the state Senate and that he says he is the candidate in the race who has been working on insurance issues for a long time, and that he rejects the description of himself as the establishment candidate in a race against a protest candidate.S12

Record in office

  • Mission Local reports Allen authored Senate Bill 1209, which was signed into law in September 2026 and lets the insurance commissioner order insurance companies to fix problems found during investigations without going through a lengthy legal process. Capitol Weekly reports the same bill.S11S12
  • The Los Angeles Times reports that in the 2026 legislative session the governor signed bills Allen was an author of that give policyholders time to resolve issues before an insurer can drop them, require insurers to fix deficiencies uncovered by department examinations, and create a low-interest loan program for residential fire-proofing.S10
  • His campaign says he authored SB 495, the Eliminate the List Act, which requires higher upfront payments for personal property coverage so that disaster survivors are not required to itemize every lost possession, and that he supported AB 234, which reformed the FAIR Plan governing committee.S18
  • His campaign says he wrote Proposition 4, the 2024 bond measure for clean drinking water and fire prevention that voters approved, that he authored SB 54 on plastic pollution, that he authored the Voter's Choice Act and supported the Disclose Act, and that he supported Senator Josh Becker's SB 326 on fire risk reduction coordination.S15S17
  • Capitol Weekly quotes Allen saying that after the Palisades and Eaton fires his Senate office helped hundreds of residents get the payouts they were owed, and his voter guide statement says he helped hundreds of constituents who lost everything rebuild and held insurance companies accountable to pay what they owed.S2S12
  • Gaps in the record for this contest: the material reviewed for this entry does not include any vote or action by Allen on health insurance rate regulation, on the FAIR Plan's rate increase requests, or on auto insurance rating factors, and he has not held the office he is seeking, so there are no decisions made as insurance commissioner to report for him.S6S7S10

Positions

Cost of living
  • Says he would modernize rate-setting so insurers may use wildfire catastrophe modeling and include reinsurance costs in rate applications, aligning California with national standards, and would streamline Department of Insurance rate reviews so decisions are made within months rather than years.S6S17
  • CalMatters reports Allen said expanding eligibility for the state's low-cost auto insurance program to everyone could hurt the low-income drivers who really need it. The Los Angeles Times reports he also wants to speed reviews of insurer rate applications and create a business office to attract more carriers to California.S6S10
Housing
  • Says hardening one home at a time will not solve the problem and that he would work with the Legislature, the governor and local governments on neighborhood-scale programs that reduce disaster risk and bring down rates, and would encourage rebuilding that meets new fire-hardening and community safety standards.S17S18
  • CalMatters reports Allen would involve local and state officials, firefighters, builders and the insurance industry in thinking about development, including by avoiding building in areas of high fire risk and encouraging people to move away from those areas.S6S7
Other
  • Says he would require insurers to explain claim denials clearly and to provide real-time reporting of delays and outstanding claims after a disaster, and that he would build on SB 495 with higher upfront payments for personal property coverage.S6S18
  • Says he would enforce compliance with insurance commissioner orders on FAIR Plan claims, especially smoke damage claims, and wants to increase oversight of the FAIR Plan and make it more accountable to the insurance department.S6S18
  • Says he would work with the Legislature to bar insurance commissioners and top department staff from working for the insurance industry immediately after leaving office.S19
Local services
  • Says he would invest in staffing and digital infrastructure to handle rate requests, consumer complaints and disaster claims, publish dashboards on insurer participation by region, FAIR Plan enrollment, market share, risk trends and claims, and create a consumer advocate who reports directly to the insurance commissioner.S6S19
  • Says he would simplify insurance materials, require insurers to explain discounts available under the Safer from Wildfires and other hardening programs, partner with local governments and nonprofits on insurance literacy and mitigation funding in high-risk and disadvantaged communities, and hold regular public information sessions.S19
Environment and energy
  • Says he would restore transparency programs that revealed insurers' fossil fuel investments and require regular stress testing so insurers do not underwrite or bankroll risky fossil fuel projects, and says he supports ensuring fossil fuel companies bear financial responsibility for climate damages that he says are driving insurance costs up.S6S17
Taxes
  • No position on state taxes, fees or utility rates appears in his voter guide statement, his campaign issues pages or the voter guide and news coverage reviewed for this entry, so none is recorded for him here. His stated platform is limited to insurance regulation and the operations of the Department of Insurance.S2S6S7S16

Endorsements

  • CalMatters lists California Environmental Voters, California Professional Firefighters, the Sierra Club and the California Democratic Party as endorsing Allen, with the San Francisco Chronicle as a media endorsement.S6S9
  • His campaign endorsements page quotes U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limon, Senate President pro Tem emeritus Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas endorsing him, and lists statewide elected officials including former California insurance commissioner Dave Jones, former Governor Gray Davis and three State Board of Equalization members.S20
  • His campaign endorsements page lists organizations including the California Democratic Party, California Environmental Voters, the California Farm Bureau Federation, California YIMBY, Equality California, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, Professional Engineers in California Government, Grow SF, Climate Action California and California State Retirees, along with many local Democratic clubs.S20
  • His campaign endorsements page lists labor unions including the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, the California Professional Firefighters, the California Federation of Teachers, the California State Council of Laborers, United Nurses Association of California, UAW Region 6, IBEW Local 11, AFSCME District Council 36 and UFCW.S20
  • His campaign endorsements page lists newspaper editorial boards including the Southern California News Group and The Orange County Register, Bay Area News Group, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Bakersfield Californian, The Santa Barbara Independent, The San Diego Union-Tribune and La Opinion. Mission Local reports his endorsements include the California Democratic Party, California Environmental Voters, the Sierra Club, the California Professional Firefighters and the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Los Angeles Times reports he is endorsed by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and leading elected party officials.S10S11S20

Funding

Total raised: $1,574,007 S4S6S11S27

Cash on hand: $698,621

As of: September 19, 2026

Top funders

  • Jesse Gabriel for Assembly 2026 $21,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Bill Bloomfield $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Building a Stronger Future for California PAC $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • California Association of Realtors $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • California Jewish PAC $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • California State Council of Laborers $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Cecelia Assaf $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Dorian S. Berger $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Jeff Assaf $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Joan Chu $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026

ALLEN FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2026; BEN (Cal-Access filer ID 1483889) reports contributions of $1,574,007.18 and total expenditures of $1,902,339.00 for January 1 through September 19, 2026, ending with $698,620.95 in cash, with the last report filed October 16, 2026. CalMatters reports about $2.21 million in contributions of $100 or more for the 2025 to 2026 cycle; its contributor tables exclude small donors under $100 and transfers from a candidate's previous campaign committee for a different race, which is one reason its cycle totals differ from the Cal-Access period totals. CalMatters lists $994,593 in independent expenditures supporting Allen, led by Californians for an Affordable Future, Sponsored by California Environmental Voters, Supporting Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 at $991,855, with none opposing him. Mission Local, using Secretary of State data as of October 14, 2026, reports about $2.2 million spent supporting him and none opposing him, and reports that group, Californians for an Affordable Future, is backed by crypto billionaire Chris Larsen and had raised roughly $2 million for him.

Statement summary

His statement says he is running to reform what he calls a broken insurance system, to lower costs and protect consumers, and that he is not taking any insurance company money. It cites laws he says he authored requiring insurers to increase upfront claim payments, creating low-interest loans for home improvements that reduce fire risk, and helping homeowners keep coverage when they fix hazards on their property, and says he helped hundreds of constituents after fires in his district. He says that as commissioner he would increase competition to bring down costs, protect consumers who are unfairly dropped, make insurers accountable and the process transparent, and expedite rebuilding, and that he prefers what he calls a proven, practical path over creating an untested large-scale system that puts the state and taxpayers on the hook. He lists support from the Consumer Federation of California, California Professional Firefighters, Planned Parenthood, the California Federation of Teachers, the Sierra Club, Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and a coalition of Republican, Independent and Democratic leaders.S2

What this could mean for your household

  • Homeowners: says he would modernize rate-setting so insurers may use wildfire catastrophe modeling and reinsurance costs, streamline rate reviews, and expand Safer from Wildfires, the California Safe Homes grant program and vegetation management so residents can lower risk and therefore premiums.S17
  • Homeowners after a loss: says he would require insurers to explain claim denials, report delays and outstanding claims in real time after a disaster, pay more upfront for personal property coverage under SB 495, and fix deficiencies found in department examinations.S10S18
  • Homeowners in the FAIR Plan: says he would enforce compliance with insurance commissioner orders on FAIR Plan claims, especially smoke damage claims, and supported AB 234, which changed the plan's governing committee.S18
  • Drivers: CalMatters reports Allen said opening the state's low-cost auto insurance program to everyone could hurt the low-income drivers who need it, and the Los Angeles Times reports he wants faster reviews of insurer rate applications and a business office to attract more carriers to the state.S6S10
  • W-2 earners and small business owners: the material reviewed for this entry does not contain a stated position from Allen on state taxes or fees, on utility rates or on employment rules, so none is recorded here. His stated platform is limited to insurance regulation and the operations of the Department of Insurance.S2S6S16

Campaign website

Jane Kim

Democratic Attorney/Consumer Advocate

Bio

  • The Secretary of State's certified list of candidates for the November 3, 2026 general election names Jane Kim, Democratic, with the ballot designation Attorney/Consumer Advocate.S1S13
  • The Los Angeles Times reports Kim is 49, served as a San Francisco supervisor from 2011 to 2019, is the daughter of Korean immigrants, attended Stanford and earned a law degree from Berkeley, and that her progressive credentials include leading a campaign to make the city's community college tuition free and serving as California political director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign.S10
  • Her campaign says she won universal tuition-free community college, California's first $15 minimum wage ordinance, a tenant protection ordinance and record amounts of affordable housing as a San Francisco supervisor, that she raised the affordable housing requirement for new development, that she passed a commercial rent tax she says now generates $140 million a year for child care and early education, and that she is a civil rights attorney who worked for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and organized with the Chinatown Community Development Center.S22
  • CalMatters reports Kim has not held elected office since 2019 and that her most recent jobs were California director for the Working Families Party and, before that, California political director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. Mission Local reports she served as state director of the California Working Families Party from January 2022 through January 2026, and Ballotpedia says she was elected to the San Francisco Board of Education in 2006 and to the Board of Supervisors in 2010, serving 12 years in elected office.S7S11S13
  • Capitol Weekly reports Kim does not shy away from the protest candidate label, quotes her saying that she is running against the status quo, and reports that a victory by her would be read as evidence of the Working Families Party's influence in California.S12

Record in office

  • Her campaign says that as a San Francisco supervisor she won universal tuition-free community college for city residents, California's first $15 minimum wage, a tenant protection ordinance and record amounts of affordable housing, and that she led a 2018 measure to raise the city's affordable housing requirements.S22
  • Ballotpedia reports she served on the San Francisco Board of Education from 2006 to 2011 and on the Board of Supervisors from 2011 to 2019, and lists her as a former director of the Working Families Party.S13
  • Capitol Weekly reports she was the California political director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign and then statewide director of the California Working Families Party from 2022, and Mission Local reports she appeared with Sanders at a rally in October 2026 in support of Proposition 40.S11S12
  • On insurance specifically, her campaign points to no votes or official actions in the office she is seeking: her role has not involved regulating insurers, and she says the office has broad executive authority that she believes previous commissioners have not fully used, including licensing who may do business in the state and approving or rejecting rate changes.S12S23
  • Her campaign publishes a page saying Allen has taken money from the insurance industry during his career, listing 76 contributions from insurers, health plans, their political action committees and trade groups, and saying four insurer donations totaling $6,900 that were transferred into his insurance commissioner committee were returned after news reports. This is her campaign's research and claim about her opponent, not a finding by a regulator or a court.S27
  • Gaps in the record for this contest: the material reviewed for this entry does not include votes or official actions by Kim on insurance regulation, and she has not held the office she is seeking, so there are no decisions made as insurance commissioner to report for her either.S7S10S13

Positions

Cost of living
  • Says she would create a public single-payer disaster insurance program called Natural Disaster Insurance for All, with automatic universal coverage of catastrophic fire and flood damage, funded by policyholders' premiums with pricing based on property value and risk, run as a nonprofit, and requiring legislation and the governor's support to take effect; her campaign says the worst corporate polluters would be required to pay into the system.S7S10S23
  • Says California should establish minimum loss ratio standards calculated over rolling three-year periods, at 70 percent for auto insurance and 65 percent for homeowners insurance, so that money collected beyond claims and a reasonable profit goes back to policyholders or into statewide resilience, and says she would publish an annual report and searchable data showing how insurers spend premium dollars.S23
  • Says she would expand the state's low-cost auto insurance program to more working families as a short-term step toward a public auto insurance option, and would close what she calls the loophole that allows insurers to charge higher rates to blue-collar workers than to white-collar workers.S6S23S24
Housing
  • Says she would enforce minimum coverage standards as a condition of rate approval, including guaranteed replacement cost for total losses, extended replacement cost of up to 50 percent, ordinance and law coverage of up to 25 percent of the dwelling limit, and consent before an insurer reduces coverage, and would create a public tool to estimate rebuilding costs that insurers would have to justify.S6S24
  • Says she would require insurance companies to give six months notice before non-renewing a policy or making material changes to coverage, compared with the current 75 days, and says she would require insurers to report and justify how they calculate inflation in rebuilding costs.S24
Other
  • Says she would pursue legislation to prohibit insurers from raising premiums, dropping coverage or refusing renewal because a policyholder filed a claim, asked about a claim or had a no-fault loss, and would investigate insurers with a pattern of retaliation for valid claims.S7S25
  • Says she would require companies to pay interest on delayed claims, require insurers to pay out full contents coverage immediately after a total loss from a disaster, launch market conduct examinations of insurers with elevated complaint rates or suspicious denial patterns, coordinate with the Attorney General on fraud referrals, and publish a public dashboard of company-by-company claims performance.S7S10S25
  • Says the FAIR Plan falls short of covering Californians, that a public disaster insurance program would reduce the need for it, and that an insurer of last resort would still be important but needs to be more accountable.S6S23
Health care
  • Says she would write a plan to guarantee health care for every child in California, which she calls Medicare for Kids, and says insurance regulatory authority should be centralized in the Department of Insurance, which she notes does not oversee managed health care plans and which she says makes California the only state with insurance regulation split between two departments.S13S24
Environment and energy
  • Says insurance companies should disclose how they spend policyholders' premiums, including whether they financially support the fossil fuel industry, and says polluters should pay into the system because the private insurance model avoids losses rather than reducing risk.S6S23
Taxes
  • No position on state taxes, fees or utility rates appears in her voter guide statement, her campaign issues pages or the voter guide and news coverage reviewed for this entry, so none is recorded for her here. Her stated platform is limited to insurance regulation, health care for children and the operations of the Department of Insurance.S2S6S7S21

Endorsements

  • CalMatters lists SEIU California, the California Teachers Association, the California Faculty Association and the California Labor Federation as endorsing Kim.S6S9
  • Her campaign endorsements page quotes U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, State Controller Malia Cohen, SEIU California president David Huerta and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee endorsing her, and lists federal and state officials including U.S. Senator Andy Kim, labor leader Dolores Huerta, U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Grace Meng, Kevin Mullin and Lateefah Simon, and state legislators including Lena Gonzalez, Matt Haney, Mia Bonta, Ash Kalra and Sade Elhawary.S26
  • Her campaign endorsements page lists organizations including the Working Families Party, the National Women's Political Caucus, Our Revolution, ACCE Action, CAIR Action, the California Women's List, the California Young Democrats, Power California Action, the Dolores Huerta Action Fund and many local Democratic clubs and ethnic media outlets including Korea Daily and Sing Tao Daily.S26
  • Her campaign endorsements page lists labor unions including the California Labor Federation, SEIU California, the California Nurses Association, the California Teachers Association, the California Faculty Association, the California Federation of Teachers, the California School Employees Association, Teamsters California, UAW Region 6, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, UDW, CWA District 9, ILWU and several plumbers and pipefitters locals.S26
  • Kim's campaign endorsements page does not list any newspaper editorial board endorsement, and CalMatters lists no newspaper endorsement for her, while it lists the San Francisco Chronicle for Allen. Her voter guide statement says she is supported by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Controller Malia Cohen, Dolores Huerta, the California Teachers Association and the California Nurses Association, and Mission Local reports she is endorsed by the California Teachers Association, the California Nurses Association and the California Working Families Party, where she served as state director.S2S6S11S26

Funding

Total raised: $1,157,577 S5S6S11S26

Cash on hand: $345,281

As of: September 19, 2026

Top funders

  • California Nurses Association $39,200 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • California School Employees Association $39,200 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • California Teachers Association $39,200 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Service Employees International Union California State Council $39,200 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • United Domestic Workers of America $39,200 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Service Employees International Union Local 1021 $31,400 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • Jane Kim $22,500 Cumulative 2025 to 2026 cycle total in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, where the candidate is marked with an asterisk that flags a contributor who made a loan as part or all of the total; the table lists the contributor as JANE KIM
  • California Labor Federation AFL-CIO $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • California Working Families Party $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026
  • David Augustine $19,600 Cumulative large-donor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, built from California Secretary of State data, with the industry breakdown last updated October 13, 2026

KIM FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2026; JANE (Cal-Access filer ID 1485530) reports contributions of $1,157,577.43 and total expenditures of $920,622.57 for January 1 through September 19, 2026, ending with $345,280.77 in cash, with the last report filed September 24, 2026. CalMatters reports about $1.33 million in contributions of $100 or more for the 2025 to 2026 cycle; its contributor tables exclude small donors under $100 and transfers from a candidate's previous campaign committee for a different race, which is one reason its cycle totals differ from the Cal-Access period totals. CalMatters lists $556,208 in independent expenditures supporting Kim, led by the California Working Families Party at $364,580 and the California Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Committee at $150,195, and $1,511,219 opposing her, led by JOBSPAC, sponsored by the California Chamber of Commerce, at $1,508,481. Mission Local, using Secretary of State data as of October 14, 2026, reports about $733,200 spent supporting her and about $1.5 million spent opposing her, and notes that for Kim outside spending against her outweighs spending for her.

Statement summary

Her statement says the insurance commissioner should work to lower prices for consumers rather than for the industry, that she will never take money from insurance companies and is the only candidate refusing money from corporate political action committees, and that she would make claims fast and fair, cap what she calls excessive profits, crack down on illegal price-fixing, and invest premiums in safer communities through a public Disaster Insurance for All program, and would fight for guaranteed health care for every California child. She describes herself as a civil rights attorney and consumer advocate, says she is running to fix rather than manage what she calls a broken system, and cites winning universal tuition-free community college, California's first $15 minimum wage and record amounts of affordable housing as a San Francisco supervisor. She lists support from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Controller Malia Cohen, Dolores Huerta, the California Teachers Association and the California Nurses Association.S2

What this could mean for your household

  • Homeowners: says she would create a public Disaster Insurance for All program covering catastrophic fire and flood damage, with automatic universal coverage and premiums based on property value and risk, and says the program would need legislation and would still leave a role for an insurer of last resort.S7S10S23
  • Homeowners: says she would require minimum coverage standards as a condition of rate approval, including guaranteed replacement cost on total losses, extended replacement cost of up to 50 percent, ordinance and law coverage of up to 25 percent of the dwelling limit, and six months notice before a non-renewal or a material change in coverage.S24
  • Homeowners and renters after a loss: says she would pursue a freeze on rates when a policyholder files a claim, require immediate payment of full contents coverage after a total loss from a disaster, require insurers to pay interest on delayed claims, and publish a public dashboard of insurers' claims records.S7S10S25
  • Drivers: says she would expand the state's low-cost auto insurance program to more working families, work toward a public auto insurance option, and close what she calls the loophole that allows insurers to charge higher rates to blue-collar workers than to white-collar workers.S23S24
  • W-2 earners and small business owners: the material reviewed for this entry does not contain a stated position from Kim on state taxes or fees, on utility rates or on employment rules, so none is recorded here. Her stated platform is limited to insurance regulation, health care for children and the operations of the Department of Insurance.S2S6S21

Campaign website

Sources

  1. Certified List of Candidates, November 3, 2026, General Election California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  2. Insurance Commissioner Candidate Statements, Official Voter Information Guide, November 3, 2026 California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  3. Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 Primary Election, Insurance Commissioner California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  4. Campaign Finance: ALLEN FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2026; BEN (ID 1483889), committee summary California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  5. Campaign Finance: KIM FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2026; JANE (ID 1485530), committee summary California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  6. California Voter Guide 2026: Insurance Commissioner CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  7. How California insurance commissioner candidates Jane Kim and Ben Allen measure up CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  8. What California's insurance commissioner does and how it affects your wallet CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  9. Voter guide: California insurance commissioner, 2026 general election LAist Accessed 2026-10-17
  10. Your guide to the California insurance commissioner race: Allen vs. Kim Los Angeles Times Accessed 2026-10-17
  11. Ben Allen and Jane Kim vie to be California's next insurance commissioner Mission Local Accessed 2026-10-17
  12. Why the Insurance Commissioner race is about more than insurance Capitol Weekly Accessed 2026-10-17
  13. California Insurance Commissioner election, 2026 Ballotpedia Accessed 2026-10-17
  14. Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner, home page Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  15. About Ben Allen Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  16. Issues, Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  17. Fighting insurers that deny and delay (stabilizing the market) Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  18. Post-Disaster Insurer Compliance Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  19. Making the Department More Transparent and Accountable Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  20. Endorsements, Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  21. Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner, home page Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  22. Meet Jane Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  23. Lower Costs Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  24. Guaranteed Coverage Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  25. Fast and Fair Claims Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  26. Endorsements, Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  27. Follow the Money Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17