Jane Kim Wins California Insurance Commissioner Race
Kim, a Democrat, defeated state Sen. Ben Allen to succeed term-limited Commissioner Ricardo Lara in January.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Insurance
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Former San Francisco supervisor Jane Kim was elected California insurance commissioner, defeating state Sen. Ben Allen, the Associated Press called the race close to 9 p.m. Saturday. She will be the first woman and the first Asian American to hold the office.
Why it matters
The commissioner oversees insurance regulation for the state, and insurers have stopped writing new policies or dropped customers after a string of catastrophic wildfires. Kim's signature proposal, "Natural Disaster Insurance for All," would create a state-run program to cover wildfire risk.
Kim's 27.4% first-place share in the June top-two primary set up a general election that was the first matchup between two Democrats for insurance commissioner since the office became elected in 1988. The extraction does not report the final vote margin, and the Associated Press call came with the race still described as close.
The players
Jane Kim
Jane Kim is a Democrat who previously represented District 6 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011 to 2019 and served as California political director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign.
Ben Allen
Ben Allen is a California state senator who advanced to the general election alongside Kim through the June nonpartisan top-two primary.
Ricardo Lara
Ricardo Lara is California's term-limited insurance commissioner whom Kim will replace in January.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is a U.S. senator from Vermont who endorsed Kim and joined her at an October rally in San Francisco.
The details
Kim was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Ro Khanna, the California Teachers Association, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the Working Families Party. She previously served on the San Francisco Board of Education and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and was California political director for Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign.
Timeline
June: Kim finished first in the top-two primary with 27.4% of the vote.
October: Sanders and Khanna joined Kim at a San Francisco rally.
November 7, 2026: AP called the race close to 9 p.m. Saturday.
January 2027: Kim takes office, replacing Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
Market Dynamics
The race is the first general election between two Democrats for insurance commissioner since the office became elected in 1988, when voters approved Proposition 103. Kim now takes over an insurance market where major carriers have pulled back from writing new wildfire-exposed policies.
Homeowners in wildfire-prone areas face continued difficulty obtaining standard coverage as insurers have stopped writing new policies or dropped customers. Kim's proposed state-run wildfire program would be a central question for her tenure starting in January.
The takeaway
Californians shopping for home or auto coverage should expect the insurance commissioner's office to shape wildfire-related availability and pricing when Kim takes office in January.
What happens next
Kim takes office in January 2027, replacing Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
Further reading
Explore more on insurance coverage trends affecting California homeowners after recent wildfires.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Stanford Daily.
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Do you trust insurance companies to handle wildfire claims fairly in your area?
