Nearly half of the country's insurance commissioners could be introducing themselves to the industry by the spring, but that may be good news as most are to be appointed by governors favored by insurers.
Four commissioners were elected last November, and the only incumbent to keep the post was Sandy Praeger in Kansas, who ran unopposed.
Open races in California and Georgia saw Dave Jones and Ralph Hudgens, a former state senator, win. Incumbent Kim Holland lost in Oklahoma.
Ms. Holland's defeat prompted the start of what are to be many changes at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. In October, Ms. Holland was elected vice president. Recently, the NAIC said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon would become vice president and Illinois Insurance Director Michael McRaith will become secretary-treasurer.
In addition, the NAIC's president-elect Kevin McCarty, insurance 
commissioner in Florida, could also be replaced by the new governor.
Resignations called for new commissioners in Nebraska, Virginia and Connecticut. Other key states such as Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, as well as the District of Columbia, will likely see changes due to new governors.
Historically, even if the governors' office remained in the hands of the same political party, the new governor prefers to appoint a new commissioner. And a change at the top can be the occasion for a commissioner to look elsewhere, since the post is typically considered a stepping stone.
In late October, before the election returns came in, Therese Vaughan, NAIC chief executive officer, said the association was working on ways to get the new faces familiar with the NAIC's work.
The midterm elections were seen as a win for the property and casualty industry on the state and federal legislation front. Specifically, the industry's desire for a five-year reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program is thought to have received a boost with the ousters of Reps. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., and Ron Klein, D-Fla.
Mr. Taylor had pushed for a measure to add wind coverage to the NFIP and Mr. Klein sponsored the Homeowners Defense Act, which established a national catastrophe backstop. Republican control of the House may mean the end of efforts to stop the use of credit scoring as an underwriting tool and it could slow the desire to regulate the industry.
In Florida, the election of Rick Scott as governor has prompted the reintroduction of a comprehensive insurance bill that was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist although it received overwhelming support from lawmakers and state officials, as well as from the industry and consumer groups.
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