California Insurance Commissioner in Statewide, California

2026 Primary Election

• Steven Bradford — Former California State Senator in Gardena, California

  Steven Bradford served in the California State Senate from 2016 to 2024, representing the 35th district. Prior to his time in the Senate, he was a member of the California State Assembly from 2009 to 2014. Before his state-level career, Bradford served on the Gardena City Council for over 12 years, where he was the first African American elected to the council. During his time on the city council, he helped stabilize the city's budget. His professional experience also includes working for IBM and Southern California Edison (SCE). He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

• Eduardo Vargas — Los Angeles Unified School District teacher in Alhambra, California

  Eduardo 'Lalo' Vargas is a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has also been a volunteer firefighter, EMT, and a community organizer for tenants and immigrants. Vargas previously ran unsuccessfully for the Los Angeles City Council. He was inspired to run for Insurance Commissioner after observing the difficulties wildfire survivors faced with insurance claims.

• Merritt Farren — Attorney/Consumer Advocate in Pacific Palisades, California

  Merritt Farren has lived in California since he was nine years old. He graduated with honors from Stanford University and then attended Berkeley Law. He has over 30 years of experience in business, technology, and law, having worked at Disney as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Disneyland Resort, and at Amazon as Associate General Counsel for Media and New Technologies. He also held senior roles at Sony Pictures Entertainment. After his home was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire, he became a consumer advocate, formally intervening in State Farm's rate hike proceedings.

• Ben Allen — California Insurance Commissioner in N/a, California

  Ben Allen is a California State Senator representing the 24th District since 2022, previously representing the 26th district from 2014. Before his election to the Senate, he was the president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education, a lecturer at UCLA Law School, and an attorney. He also served as a voting student member of the University of California Board of Regents while in law school. Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, a Master's degree from the University of Cambridge, and a Juris Doctor degree from UC Berkeley School of Law. He was born and raised in Santa Monica, California.

• Jane Kim — Candidate for Insurance Commissioner in San Francisco, CA

  Jane Kim is an attorney and politician who served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011 to 2019, where she authored California's first $15 minimum wage. Prior to that, she was president of the San Francisco Board of Education. She recently served as the State Director of the California Working Families Party and as California political director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. Kim earned a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and a J.D. from UC Berkeley.

• Patrick Wolff — Financial Analyst in San Francisco, CA

  Patrick Wolff is a financial analyst, investor, and former two-time U.S. Chess Champion running for California Insurance Commissioner. Early in his career, he built an auto and home insurance brokerage before spending two decades analyzing insurance companies and financial markets. Active in his community, Wolff founded the civic advocacy group Families for San Francisco and the charity conference Excellence in Investing for Children's Causes. He currently resides in San Francisco.

• Eric Thor Aarnio — Contractor in Sacramento, CA

  Eric Thor Aarnio is a Republican candidate for California Insurance Commissioner in the 2026 election [1.3]. Based in Sacramento, California, he is a licensed contractor and the owner of a local cabinet carpentry business.

• Robert P Howell — Cybersecurity Company CEO in San Jose, CA

  Robert P. Howell is a Silicon Valley business owner and the CEO of a cybersecurity equipment manufacturing company. He is a Republican candidate for California Insurance Commissioner in the 2026 election. Howell previously ran for the same statewide office in 2022, advancing from the primary but losing to incumbent Ricardo Lara in the general election. Additionally, he was a candidate for the California State Senate representing District 15 during the 2020 and 2024 election cycles.

• Stacy A. Korsgaden — Financial Advisor and Licensed Insurance Agent in Grover Beach, CA

  Stacy A. Korsgaden is a licensed insurance professional and financial advisor running for California Insurance Commissioner. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she has held a California insurance license since 1988. Korsgaden owned an insurance agency for 35 years before founding Coastal Wealth Financial. Her campaign focuses on restoring a competitive insurance marketplace, reducing regulations, and reforming the state's disaster and wildfire response to lower costs for consumers.

• Sean Lee — Financial Services Executive in Irvine, CA

  Sean Lee is a financial services executive with over 28 years of experience and a Republican candidate for California Insurance Commissioner in 2026. Earlier in his career, Lee conducted scientific research at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory through Caltech. His campaign focuses on stabilizing the state's insurance marketplace, ensuring fair rates, enhancing consumer protections, and supporting technological innovations such as artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and combat fraud.

• Keith W. Davis — InsuranceAgent in Winchester, CA

  KeithW.DavisisaninsuranceagentrunningastheAmericanIndependentPartycandidateforCaliforniaInsuranceCommissionerinthe2026primaryelection[1.2]. Based in Winchester, California, Davis brings professional experience from the insurance industry to his campaign for statewide office.