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Washington Insurance Commissioner election, 2016
2020 →
← 2012
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August 2, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Mike Kreidler (D) |
Mike Kreidler (D) |
Governor • Lt. Governor Attorney General • Secretary of State Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor • Insurance Commissioner Natural Resources Commissioner Superintendent of Schools |
May 20, 2016 |
August 2, 2016 |
October 21, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
TBD |
Washington held an election for insurance commissioner on November 8, 2016. The primary was held on August 2. Incumbent Commissioner Mike Kreidler (D) won re-election, defeating his opponent, Richard Schrock (R) in the general election.
Overview
The Washington insurance commissioner is responsible for consumer protection and regulation of the insurance industry in the state.
Going into the 2016 elections, Washington had a divided government: Democrats controlled the governorship and also held a two-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
Washington holds top-two primary elections, in which all candidates compete against each other regardless of party affiliation, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. Heading into the primary election, incumbent Mike Kreidler (D) had a significant fundraising lead over his two challengers, reporting over $80,000 in contributions as of July 2016; Richard Schrock (R) and Justin Murta (Lib.) had raised about $4,000 and $400 respectively. Kreidler and Schrock placed first and second respectively in the August 2 primary election and advanced to the November general election.
The last Republican to hold office was unseated in 1992's general election. Given Democrats' incumbency advantage in this election, Republicans faced a significant challenge to winning back the seat in 2016. Indeed, Kreidler won re-election on November 8, 2016.
Candidates
 Most recent position: Washington insurance commissioner since 2001 Past experience: U.S. Rep., 1993-1994; state Sen., 1985-1992; state Rep., 1977-1985 |
 Most recent position: Commissioner for Snohomish Co. Fire District 1 since 2011 Past experience: Director, Washington State Department of Commerce, 1981-1985 |
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Results
General election
Incumbent Mike Kreidler defeated Richard Schrock in the Washington insurance commissioner election.
| Washington Insurance Commissioner, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Mike Kreidler Incumbent |
58.34% | 1,763,134 | |
| Republican | Richard Schrock | 41.66% | 1,258,827 | |
| Total Votes | 3,021,961 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
Note: Washington utilizes a mail-in ballot system. Results were not finalized until 14 days after the primary election.[1]
Incumbent Mike Kreidler and Richard Schrock defeated Justin Murta in the Washington primary for insurance commissioner.
| Washington primary for insurance commissioner, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mike Kreidler Incumbent |
58.41% | 772,569 | |
| Republican | Richard Schrock |
34.09% | 450,830 | |
| Libertarian | Justin Murta | 7.50% | 99,181 | |
| Total Votes | 1,322,580 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should appear on the general election ballot. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Washington utilizes a top-two primary, in which a single primary election is held for each office wherein all candidates running for that office, regardless of party affiliation, compete in the same election. The two candidates receiving the most votes move on to the general election; all voters may vote in the primary for any candidate. In this type of primary, it is possible for both candidates in the general election to belong to the same political party. The general election also mimics a runoff election in that the two candidates who compete already competed against each other in the primary election.[2][3][4]
Washington's primary elections took place on August 2, 2016. The state utilizes a mail-in ballot system, and all ballots were required to be postmarked or left in a designated dropbox by 8 p.m. on election day. Ballots were mailed to registered voters 18 days prior to the election, and preliminary results were released at 8 p.m. on election day. While some races were called by the media on election day, official results were not certified by the Washington secretary of state until 14 days after the election, which, in 2016, was on August 16.[5]
Incumbent Mike Kreidler (D)
Kreisler was first elected in 2000's open race, defeating Republican Don Davidson by a margin of about 11 percent. He won re-election in 2004, 2008, and 2012 by margins ranging from 13 to 22 percent. Prior to his tenure as insurance commissioner, Kreidler served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1977 to 1985, in the state Senate from 1985 to 1992, and in the U.S. House from 1993 to 1994.
Kreidler is a U.S. Army veteran that retired after 20 years of service. He has also been a member of the Northwest Power Council and a regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Party control in Washington
Going into the 2016 elections, Washington had a divided government: Democrats controlled the governorship and also held a two-seat majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans gained control of the state Senate in the 2014 elections by a one-seat majority, ending a seven-year Democratic trifecta. Ballotpedia has identified both chambers of the state legislature as battleground chambers in the 2016 elections.
Both of Washington's U.S. Senate seats have been occupied by Democrats since 2001, and the state's electoral votes have gone to the Democratic presidential candidate every election cycle since 1988.[6]
The office of the insurance commissioner in Washington has been largely controlled by Democrats since the 1930s, with a single Republican, Richard Marquardt, holding the seat from 1977 to 1993.[7] Marquardt served four terms before being unseated in 1992 by Democrat Deborah Senn, who won the office by a seven percent margin.[8] Incumbent Mike Kreidler (D) has held office since 2001, winning the 2000 open election by a margin of about 11 percent, and ran for a fifth term in 2016.
Democrats' strong incumbency advantage in this office presented a significant challenge to Republican efforts to win it back in 2016.
Campaigns
Campaign finance
| Mike Kreidler Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $91,542.13 | $(20,779.73) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $91,542.13 | $(20,779.73) | ||||||||
| Richard Schrock Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
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| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $3,790.05 | $(1,710.05) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $3,790.05 | $(1,710.05) | ||||||||
| Justin Murta Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $400 | $() | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $400 | $(0) | ||||||||
Endorsements
| Key endorsements, primary candidates | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Kreidler (D) | Richard Schrock (R) | Justin Murta (Lib.) | |||||||
| Washington Education Association | |||||||||
| Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO | |||||||||
| Washington State Nurses Association | |||||||||
| Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii | |||||||||
| Retired Public Employees Council of Washington | |||||||||
| Seattle Times | |||||||||
| NARAL Pro-Choice Washington | |||||||||
| King County Democrats | |||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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Republicans
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| Justin Murta (Lib.) |    
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About the office
- See also: Washington Commissioner of Insurance
The Washington insurance commissioner is responsible for consumer protection and regulation of the insurance industry in the state. The office mediates insurance disputes, licenses and audits state insurers, and regulates the individuals and businesses that sell insurance.
Incumbent
The incumbent was Mike Kreidler (D). He has served in this position since 2001.
Qualifications
Article 3, Section 25 of the state Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
| Qualifications, Compensation, Offices Which May Be Abolished. No person, except a citizen of the United States and a qualified elector of this state, shall be eligible to hold any state office... |
- a citizen of the United States
- a qualified elector in Washington
Authority
The office of insurance commissioner is established in the Washington Code.[9]
Washington Code - 48.02.010:
| There shall be an insurance commissioner of this state who shall be elected at the time and in the manner that other state officers are elected. |
Elections
In Washington, the insurance commissioner is elected every four years. Elections are held in November and winners assume office the following January, serving until their successors are elected and qualified.
Washington elects insurance commissioners in presidential years (2012, 2016, and 2020).
Past elections
Full history
To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Washington Commissioner of Insurance, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2012 Incumbent Mike Kreidler won re-election on November 6, 2012.
On November 4, 2008, Mike Kreidler won re-election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Insurance. He defeated John Adams (R) in the general election.
2004 On November 2, 2004, Mike Kreidler won re-election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Insurance. He defeated John Adams (R) and Stephen D. Steele (L) in the general election.
2000 On November 7, 2000, Mike Kreidler won election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Insurance. He defeated Don Davidson (R) and Mike Hihn (L) in the general election.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington Insurance Commissioner election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Washington | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Secretary of State Kim Wyman, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 4, 2016
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, "Historical election results," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ Office of the Insurance Commissioner Washington State, "Past commissioners," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Secretary of State Kim Wyman, "Elections Search Results: November 1992 General," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Washington State Code, "RCW 48.02.010," accessed December 28, 2012
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