NAMIC Web Site Updates On Regulator Elections

By Daniel Hays

NU Online News Service, Sept. 2, 1:07 p.m.EDT?The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companieshas launched a new nonpartisan informational Web site providinginformation about this fall's state elections, including insurancecommissioner contests.[@@]

Indianapolis based NAMIC said the new Web site www.statelections2004.comis similar to one it produced to monitor state election races in2002.
In the weeks just prior to that year's election, some 5,800visitors a day viewed that Web site, the group said.

Rick Nelson, a spokesman for NAMIC, said that while theorganization does make contributions through political actioncommittees, the site contains no endorsements.

One tab on the Web page gives visitors information about thefive state elections for insurance commissioner in Delaware,Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota and Washington. Those statesalso have contests for governor.

Dave Reddick, a NAMIC state affairs manager, said in four of thecommissioner elections there are incumbents running who would beexpected to have an edge. Six other states, where the regulatorserves at the pleasure of the governor, Indiana, Missouri, NewHampshire, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia also have gubernatorialelections.

Three states, Indiana, New Hampshire and Vermont, have anincumbent governor seeking reelection.

In addition to links to candidate Web sites, the NAMIC offeringincludes links to recent press articles dealing with the races.

Roger Schmelzer, NAMIC senior vice president of state andregulatory affairs, said he believes this year's election Web siteshould draw the same number of visitors as the one in 2002.

He said the outcome of a number of state elections "willdirectly affect insurance industry public policy initiatives foryears to come."

Three states?Montana, Washington and West Virginia?are holding"open" gubernatorial races because the incumbent is either retiringor has chosen not to seek re-election. In two states?Missouriand
Utah?voters and party officials have already chosen candidatesother than the incumbents.

Besides the gubernatorial races, voters in 44 states will helpto elect 78 percent of the country's 7,382 state legislators.

Mr. Schmelzer remarked that, "The National Conference of StateLegislators has noted that a shift of three legislative seats
could affect the [composition] of as many as 26 state legislativechambers this fall.

"This makes these races extremely important to the insuranceindustry and will definitely play a role in how successful theindustry is in pursuing its state agendas over the next twoyears."

Mr. Schmelzer also related that 11 states will elect attorneysgeneral, while the person who becomes attorney general in NewHampshire, an appointed position, will depend on the outcome of thegubernatorial race.

Mr. Schmelzer cited the fact that only Delaware will see an"open race" due to the retirement of Insurance Commissioner DonnaLee Williams, who is finishing her third four-year term inoffice.
Incumbents in the other four states all have opponents this fall,but they should each win re-election, he said.

Mr. Schmelzer said a new feature of this year's election Website would be the monitoring of state Supreme Court judicialraces.

"Twenty states are electing a total of 44 justices this fall,"Mr. Schmelzer said. "The outcome of these races can sometimes moredirectly affect the ability of insurers to operate successfully ina state
than any gubernatorial or state legislative contests."

NAMIC said the most closely watched judicial races this year arelikely to be in Mississippi and Ohio, where four Supreme Courtjudicial seats are being contested in each of those states.Another
important race should be the "open" Fifth Judicial District race inIllinois.

Individuals who log onto the www.stateelections2004.comwill also be able to sign up for a free weekly
e-newsletter that will help to keep them informed about this year'sstate elections.

Mr. Redddick said NAMIC's intention was to make it a nonpartisanplace that compiles information "so insurance professionals can goto one place."