(The Center Square) – Eight years ago, Mike Causey made history as North Carolina’s first Republican insurance commissioner.
He won reelection in 2020, and this fall tries to fend off the challenge of Democrat and three-term state Sen. Natasha Marcus.
Election Day is 27 days away, early in-person voting starts next week on Thursday, and absentee by mail voting has already begun.
Causey, in a lone debate, said the state has a healthy, stable insurance market and says he stands on his record. Data confirms homeowners’ rates are close to the national average. Earlier this year, the North Carolina Rate Bureau made a request for increases of as much as 100% in some parts of the state and an average of 42% – which he rejected. Negotiations ensued, though yet to be finalized.
The insurance commissioner does not set rates, but is charged with regulation; assessed risk is also part of the equation. A hearing began this week on the rate hike and could last multiple weeks.
Marcus says she is committed to hard work, quality education and “being a voice of reason and respect.” Her campaign website says, in describing her priorities, “To bring transparency, accountability, and advocacy back to the Insurance Department, we need a bold and strategic plan.”
She wants to end excessive rate hikes, focus on fair coverage and strengthen communities against natural disaster. Marcus also notes loopholes “that let insurance companies overcharge,” the need for affordable quality health insurance, insurance fraud and a pledge of integrity.
Causey’s experience before winning office included owning an insurance agency and serving as the Adopt-a-Highway coordinator for the state Department of Transportation. He earned his undergrad from High Point University.
Marcus was a 2018 midterm winner in Senate District 41 and won reelection twice. She’s a lawyer by trade, having earned her juris doctor at Duke and an undergrad from Hamilton College in her native New York.
The insurance commissioner, by state general statute, is charged with regulation of the industry. The department handles licensures; building codes; inspects fire departments; and investigates fraud and other complaints.