PROTECT CONSUMER JUSTICE.ORG

So, how do you wage a political campaign when you’re running for an office most people don’t understand, and to which few people donate?

Welcome to the Insurance Commissioner‘s race.

There is only one real candidate for the Republican nomination for Insurance Commissioner, Michael Villines, who has picked up just over $1 million in contributions, led by the California Medical Association SCC to the tune of $15,000, and the California Dental PA-Small Contributor Committee, which kicked in $12,900.

For the Democrats, there’s more of a fight, led by Assembly members Hector De La Torre and Dave Jones. Jones has raised some $2 million to De La Torre’s $1.4 million. Both get strong union support, but Jones seems to be the candidate of choice for the Democratic movers-and-shakers, with endorsements from the state Democratic Party and the big-hitter editorial boards. But De La Torre is up on the air with a TV ad, which could be a bigger factor in a race in which name-recognition can trump connections and positions. I haven’t seen any TV from the Jones campaign, though he does have an ad on YouTube. Both bits are embedded below.

Speaking of positions, De La Torre seems to offer more details of what he’d do, including ramping up penalties for misbehaving insurance  companies, as well as for people caught trying to defraud them. Jones talks in more general terms about standing up for consumers.

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