Change in Direction

George Dale faltered in his bid for an eighth term as Mississippi insurance commissioner. Dale had run as a Democrat eight times in his political career. But this year to his frustration, he ran into resistance from Democrats who questioned his party loyalty so he ran as an Independent. Gary Anderson, a former state fiscal officer from Jackson, ran for the Democratic nomination and beat Dale in the primary by a slight 51 percent to 49 percent margin.

Anderson ended up losing to Republican state Sen. Mike Chaney in the final election. Chaney said helping to make affordable insurance available to continue the rebuilding the Gulf Coast was his top concern.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford named state Sen. Scott Richardson as his insurance director, replacing Eleanor Kitzman. Richardson was elected to the Senate in 2000, and previously served in the S.C. House. He has worked in insurance and real estate. In the Senate, he served on the Finance Committee and the Banking and Insurance Committee. Richardson’s first big assignment was to fix the coastal insurance problem that has seen thousands of homeowners lose their insurance since Hurricane Katrina. It was something Richardson came to know firsthand as within weeks of his appointment, his own insurance on his Hilton Head Island home was cancelled. “If I’m not immune, then nobody is. I might be in the wind pool before you know it. I get to try a little of my own medicine,” Richardson said.