News Currents

No monumental changes in South Central states from Nov. 7 elections

Arkansas

Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe, a Democrat, won the race for the governor’s office, handily defeating Republican candidate Asa Hutchinson. Beebe, who served 20 years in the state Senate and has been attorney general for the last four years, replaces Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee. Speculation abounds that Hucka-bee, unable to run for the governor’s spot again because of term limits, may be gearing up for a presidential bid in 2008.

The governor’s race was marked early on by the death of former state lieutenant governor, Win Rockefeller, a Republican who last year had sought to challenge Hutchinson for his party’s nomination. Rockefeller died in July after an unsuccessful treatment of a rare blood disorder.

Democrats also claimed the lieutenant governor’s race, with former Clinton administration official Bill Halter’s win over Jim Holt, a state senator from Springdale.

Democrats will now control the top two spots in Arkansas state government for the first time in a decade, according to Associated Press reports.

Beebe has not indicated changes at the helm of the Arkansas Insurance Department. The commissioner’s office is an appointed one. Huckabee appointed Julie Benafield Bowman, the second woman in the state’s history to serve as insurance commissioner, to the post in January 2005.

AP reports contributed to this story.

Louisiana

The Louisiana insurance commissioner’s race was decided in late September when Commissioner Jim Donelon, a Republican, narrowly defeated James David Cain, a former state legislator and a Republican, in a special election. Donelon was appointed to serve as commissioner in February 2006, after former commissioner, Robert Wooley, stepped down to pursue opportunities in the private sector. At his swearing in ceremony, Donelon said he would continue to “keep the dialogue going with insurance companies to let them know Louisiana is a great place to do business.”

Embattled incumbent Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson faces a Dec. 9 run-off against state Rep. Karen Carter for his congressional seat. Both Carter and Jefferson are Democrats. Carter chairs the insurance committee in the state’s House of Representatives.

For over a year, Jefferson has struggled to defend himself from allegations of wrongdoing after the FBI raided his Washington and New Orleans homes. The FBI maintains in an affidavit that Jefferson hid bribe money in his freezer.

In other Louisiana congressional races, all five Republican incumbent House members — Richard Baker of Baton Rouge, Bobby Jindal of Metairie, Rodney Alexander of Quit-man, Charles Boustany of Lafayette, Jim McCrery of Shreveport — retained their offices.

Statewide, eight constitutional amendments were approved, including one combining New Orleans’ seven tax assessor offices into one.

Associated Press reports contributed to this story.

Oklahoma

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Brad Henry scored what has been called an “historic” landslide victory over his Republican opponent, Rep. Ernest Istook. Henry garnered 66.5 percent of the vote, topping former Gov. George Nigh’s feat of 63 percent in 1982, but unlike Nigh, Henry did not win all 77 counties. Istook, the seven-term representative from the 5th Congressional District, won in Beaver, Cimarron and Texas counties.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland retained her post, fending off a nasty ad campaign promulgated by a group with Texas ties that calls itself “Just the Facts America.” Holland, a Tulsa Democrat, won 52 percent of the vote, beating Republican state Rep. Bill Case of Midwest City, who got 48 percent.

In the state Senate, Republicans picked up enough votes to tie the membership of that body. Democrats are expected to retain the upper hand, due to the election of Democrat Jari Askins of Duncan, to the post of lieutenant governor, which presides over the state Senate. Askins gained 50 percent of the vote to defeat Republican House Speaker Todd Hiett of Kellyville, with 48 percent.

In an upset, Lloyd Fields, a Democrat, unseated incumbent Republican Brenda Reneau as Commissioner of Labor.

Associated Press reports contributed to this story.

Texas

As expected, incumbent Texas Gov. Rick Perry won re-election in a heavily Republican state, but his victory was by no means a shoo-in. Perry only gathered 39 percent of the votes in a race that was split five ways between the incumbent, Democratic candidate Chris Bell, who came in second with 30 percent, two independent candidates — Kinky Friedman and state Comptroller Carol Strayhorn, and Libertarian candidate James Werner.

Democrats picked up a number of seats in the Texas House of Representatives, although not enough to take control of that body. Immediately after the election, however, emboldened House Democrats began making noises about trying to unseat the current Republican Speaker Tom Craddick.

The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas reported that many of the candidates supported through its IMPACT program were elected or re-elected. The IIAT said this year IMPACT was involved in 125 state legislative races and successfully supported 113 of those candidates. Some key agent winners include returning House members David Farabee (D-Wichita Falls), Tony Goolsby (R-Dallas), Brian McCall (R-Plano), Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) and Craig Eiland (D-Galveston), son of IIAT member Elaine Eiland.

Texas Surplus Lines Association lobbyist Greg Hooser lamented at TSLA’s annual meeting, held in Austin shortly after the election, the loss of two ranking Republicans from the House of Representatives — Gene Seaman (R-Corpus Christi) and Bill Keffer (R-Dallas). Seaman was vice chair of the House Insurance Committee, and Keffer had been a member of the House Insurance Committee.