Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the term of the previous commissioner, who was indicted on federal fraud and money laundering charges. King is the first Hispanic to hold statewide constitutional office in Georgia and was previously the Doraville police chief and a major general in the National Guard.
Insurance commissioner is one of the least well-known statewide races and voters likely have a difficult time saying much about what they do. Name ID and party affiliation are ultimately the biggest factors in a race like this (some would argue those are the two biggest factors in every race). Former President Donald Trump took his vendetta against Governor Kemp down to the Insurance Commissioner race and endorsed one of King’s opponents in the Republican primary. As it turned out, the incumbent King did not need to worry. He beat his opponents by nearly the margin Kemp beat gubernatorial challenger David Perdue, avoiding a runoff easily with 71 percent of the vote.
The Democrat race was much different. Janice Laws Robinson just missed avoiding a runoff with 48.7 percent of the vote. Second place finisher Raphael Baker came in with 33 percent.
Robinson is an insurance broker who has previously run for the position, garnering the nomination in 2018 easily that year, with 63 percent of the vote. She ultimately lost to the Republican Jim Beck in the general, the aforementioned previous commissioner currently in a federal prison. In a good year for Democrats, Robinson got 47 percent of the vote but came up short by 130,000 votes, with Beck avoiding a runoff by .37 percent.
Robinson is originally from Jamaica but moved to New York City as a teenager and later moved to Georgia. She owns her own business and says her experience as an immigrant and entrepreneur means she knows what it is like to work hard for an idea and a dream.
Baker points to his experience as a caregiver for his partner after he suffered kidney failure. For three years, including a two week stint in the hospital, Baker watched his partner struggle with dialysis treatments and the difficulties of the insurance system. Without insurance, his partner’s treatments would have been impossible and Georgia ranks third in the country for the highest number of uninsured. Baker is running to work to make sure everyone is able to get treatment.
On Monday, the Atlanta Press Club held a series of debates for runoff candidates, including this Insurance Commissioner race. Baker skipped the debate altogether, offering Robinson an opportunity to make her case with no argument from her opponent, including pointing out that Baker skipping the debate proves he isn’t serious about the job. She pledged to restore integrity to the office. She also said she would work to lower Georgia’s auto insurance rates by working to repeal a state law that prevents the commissioner from blocking many rate increases. The Peach State has the country’s 5th highest car insurance premiums.
Robinson also said she would prioritize mental health care, something given a boost by a major bill that passed in the state legislature this year.
