← 2026 Candidates

Insurance Commissioner

D

Keisha Sean Waites

Democratic nominee

A three-term former Georgia House member (Atlanta) and former at-large Atlanta City Council member. She ran a five-way primary and won the June 16, 2026 Democratic runoff with about 59% over insurance agent DeAndre Mathis, campaigning squarely on insurance affordability and consumer protection.

Previously held

  • Georgia House of Representatives (three terms)
  • Atlanta City Council, At-Large (Post 3)

Top contributors

No itemized campaign contributions are reported for her insurance-commissioner committee in the current Georgia Ethics filings — a starting-from-scratch profile with no PAC, insurer, or corporate money on the books, matching her pitch to run the office as a consumer advocate rather than an industry-funded regulator.

Source: Wikipedia — Keisha Waites · Transparency USA (GA filings)

Where they stand

Homeowners & property insurance

Makes home-insurance affordability her central issue — pledging to actually challenge homeowners' rate hikes rather than wave them through, as Georgia premiums climb after Hurricane Helene and a string of disasters (up roughly 24% from 2023 to 2025).

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability · The Current — is Georgia becoming uninsurable?
Auto insurance rates

Says she'd push back on auto insurers' rate increases too, framing the commissioner's job as fighting for ratepayers on premiums rather than accommodating the industry.

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability · Branch — Waites platform
ZIP-code & credit-score pricing

Wants to outlaw premiums based on a customer's ZIP code or credit score, calling the practice discriminatory — a direct hit at how home and auto insurers price risk today.

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability · Georgia Recorder — insurance runoff voter guide
Rate-hike review & oversight

Promises tougher scrutiny of insurer rate filings and more transparency, arguing the office should interrogate the data behind every increase instead of deferring to the companies.

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability · Georgia Watch — runoff pitch
Health insurance & ACA

Runs on affordability across the board, though her platform has centered on property and auto coverage; she's said less about health-insurance specifics than about home, auto, and consumer enforcement.

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability
Denied claims & consumer complaints

Would investigate denied claims and stand up a “consumer fraud strike force” to go after bad-faith practices — repositioning the office as an aggressive watchdog for policyholders.

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability · Georgia Recorder — insurance runoff voter guide
Fraud, scams & seniors

Proposes a dedicated task force to investigate insurance scams that target seniors and other vulnerable Georgians, treating elder-targeted fraud as a core enforcement priority.

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability · Branch — Waites platform
Fire safety & rural response

Wants to invest in modern equipment and faster emergency response times for Georgia's rural and under-served communities, using the commissioner's safety-fire role to close the urban-rural gap.

Source: Branch — Waites platform · AJC — Democrats focus on affordability

Scandals

None documented.

R

John F. King

Republican incumbent

Georgia's Insurance & Safety Fire Commissioner since 2019, when Gov. Brian Kemp appointed him — the first Hispanic to hold statewide office in Georgia. A retired Army major general and former Doraville police chief, he won a full term in 2022. He briefly launched a 2026 U.S. Senate bid in May 2025 but dropped it that July after meeting with Kemp, and is now seeking a second full term as commissioner.

Previously held

  • Insurance & Safety Fire Commissioner (2019–present)
  • Chief of Police, Doraville
  • Major General, U.S. Army (Georgia National Guard)

Top contributors

The donor profile of a regulator funded by the regulated — his top givers include a homeowners-insurance managing general agent (American Integrity MGA), the chief executive of a Georgia insurance company (Delos Yancey of State Mutual), and medical-industry firms, alongside a slate of $8,400-$10,000 max-out donors. Exactly the conflict critics raise about an incumbent who approves the rates these interests charge. Filed with the Georgia Ethics Commission.

  • $16,800.00Scott Delong (Lagrange, GA)
  • $15,200.00Ashley DeLong (Lagrange, GA)
  • $15,000.00Jason Broce (Adairsville, GA)
  • $15,000.00David Cowan (Redwood City, CA)
  • $15,000.00Srinivasan Krishnan (Mountain View, CA)
  • $15,000.00Stephen Roberts (Memphis, TN)
  • $15,000.00Atlanta Hand Specialist (Smyrna, GA)

$2,377,265 raised · $580,731 cash on hand — as of May 13, 2026 (GA Ethics latest filing).

Source: OCI — Commissioner John F. King bio · Transparency USA (GA filings)

Where they stand

Homeowners & property insurance

Points to holding the line on the coast — Georgia's rate bureau sought a 42% homeowners increase after Hurricane Helene and he granted just 7.5%. Even so, statewide home premiums have kept rising (roughly 9–10% a year), and critics say the office still approves steady increases.

Source: The Current — is Georgia becoming uninsurable? · Insurance Journal — King predicts rate drop after tort reform
Auto insurance rates

Has publicly spotlighted insurers — calling out Allstate over auto rate increases — and credits the 2025 lawsuit-reform package with easing pressure on auto premiums going forward.

Source: Insurance Journal — King predicts rate drop after tort reform · Atlanta News First — rates to fall 3-5% after lawsuit reform
ZIP-code & credit-score pricing

Has not moved to ban ZIP-code- or credit-score-based pricing, treating them as standard actuarial underwriting — the opposite of his opponent, who wants both outlawed.

Source: AJC — Democrats focus on affordability · Insurance Journal — King predicts rate drop after tort reform
Rate-hike review & oversight

Frames lower costs as a tort-reform story: after the 2025 lawsuit-reform laws he predicted property-casualty rates would fall 3–5% and urged insurers to file decreases. He casts the office as a stabilizer of a stressed market rather than an adversary of insurers.

Source: Atlanta News First — rates to fall 3-5% after lawsuit reform · Insurance Journal — King predicts rate drop after tort reform
Health insurance & ACA

Oversees the health-insurance market and has emphasized keeping coverage available — working, he says, to make sure small businesses and property owners aren't denied certain policies — while leaving Medicaid-expansion decisions to the Legislature.

Source: OCI — Commissioner John F. King bio · Wikipedia — John F. King
Denied claims & consumer complaints

Relies on the department's existing consumer-services and fraud divisions to field complaints, emphasizing market stability and access; he hasn't proposed the kind of new strike force his opponent is campaigning on.

Source: OCI — Commissioner John F. King bio · Insurance Journal — King predicts rate drop after tort reform
Fraud, scams & seniors

Leans on his law-enforcement background and the department's fraud unit to pursue insurance fraud, but has not built a campaign around a dedicated elder-fraud task force.

Source: OCI — Commissioner John F. King bio · Wikipedia — John F. King
Fire safety & rural response

As Safety Fire Commissioner he oversees the state fire marshal and fire-safety enforcement — a role that fits his career as a police chief and National Guard general, and one he highlights as the public-safety half of the office.

Source: OCI — Commissioner John F. King bio · Wikipedia — John F. King

Scandals

None documented.

Every entry is drawn from published reporting, official records, or the candidate's own statements, with sources on each item. Policy summaries are condensed from that reporting and reflect the candidate's stated positions; where a matter is an allegation or unresolved, that is noted, and inclusion is not a finding of guilt. Contributor figures are early/partial where the official itemized filings (Georgia Ethics Commission) are still being compiled. Corrections welcome via the contact link in the footer. Last updated 2026-06-17.