North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Causey Elected to Third Term

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey was reelected to a third term, gaining 52% of the vote to Democratic opponent Natasha Marcus’ 48%.

News reports and the Associated Press indicated that, by early Wednesday, Causey had picked up almost 2.9 million votes to Marcus’ 2.6 million. Marcus won most urban areas, including Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem.

Marcus, a state senator from Charlotte, had sharply criticized Causey for allowing repeated rate increases by property insurers in the state, calling him “Rate Hike Mike,” and for not holding enough public hearings on the increases. Causey, a former insurance agent and agency owner, has negotiated with the North Carolina Rate Bureau on a number of rate requests, often landing on much smaller increases than the Bureau had recommended.

Causey has stressed that rates have risen across the country and that they should be reasonable but actuarially sound to allow insurers to remain solvent and pay claims. The commissioner also has emphasized insurance fraud fighting by his administration, which he has said has brought in millions of dollars to the state treasury.

It has been an eventful few years for Causey. In 2018, he wore a wire and recorded millionaire insurance mogul and businessman Greg Lindberg allegedly offering Causey heavy campaign contributions in return for relaxed regulations on insurance company reserve levels. Lindberg was convicted on bribery charges, but a federal appeals court overturned the conviction because of improper jury instructions. Lindberg was convicted a second time earlier this year.

Republican lawmakers last year also stripped Causey of the state fire marshal’s job, making it a separate position. Causey then fired three top fire marshall officials, saying they had undermined his authority, according to news reports. Legislators later reinstated the officers.