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 Companies has launched a new nonpartisan informational Web site providing information about this fall's state elections, including insurance commissioner contests.[@@]

Indianapolis based NAMIC said the new Web site www.statelections2004.com is similar to one it produced to monitor state election races in 2002.
In the weeks just prior to that year's election, some 5,800 visitors a day viewed that Web site, the group said.

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

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

Dave Reddick, a NAMIC state affairs manager, said in four of the commissioner elections there are incumbents running who would be expected to have an edge. Six other states, where the regulator serves at the pleasure of the governor, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia also have gubernatorial elections.

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

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

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

He said the outcome of a number of state elections "will directly affect insurance industry public policy initiatives for years to come."

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

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

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

"This makes these races extremely important to the insurance industry and will definitely play a role in how successful the industry is in pursuing its state agendas over the next two years."

Mr. Schmelzer also related that 11 states will elect attorneys general, while the person who becomes attorney general in New Hampshire, an appointed position, will depend on the outcome of the gubernatorial race.

Mr. Schmelzer cited the fact that only Delaware will see an "open race" due to the retirement of Insurance Commissioner Donna Lee Williams, who is finishing her third four-year term in office.
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 Web site would be the monitoring of state Supreme Court judicial races.

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

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

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

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

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