RALEIGH — Incumbent Republican Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey has been reelected.
The 74-year-old Causey has worked in the insurance industry for 25 years and will head to a third term as insurance commissioner.
While results are still unofficial, Causey brought in over 52% of the vote to Democrat Natasha Marcus’ 47%.
Causey first took over the role in 2016, defeating incumbent Democrat Wayne Goodwin, who is now in charge of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and Causey was reelected in 2020. Causey had unsuccessfully challenged Goodwin for the position in 2012.
Fraud investigation is an area Causey has campaigned on and has strengthened during his time in office. When he took over, the agency only had 20 sworn law enforcement agents to investigate cases. Causey worked with lawmakers to get 20 additional fraud investigators put into place.
Marcus has represented Mecklenburg County in the state senate for three terms after an unsuccessful bid for a state house seat in 2014. She defeated incumbent Republican Jeff Tarte in her 2018 senate win.
Marcus won the Democratic primary for insurance commissioner over business owner David Wheeler with more than 77% of the vote. Causey secured a primary victory with more than 60% of the vote, defeating attorney Andrew Marcus and former North Carolina House member Robert Brawley.
Marcus has been outspoken in the senate on abortion, firearms and public education. She has vocally opposed the Opportunity Scholarship Program. Marcus has served on multiple legislative committees including Appropriations, Education/Higher Education, Judiciary, Insurance and Commerce, as well as Election and Redistricting.
Marcus, 55, was born in the small town of Brockport in upstate New York. She is a former attorney who earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Hamilton College and a law degree from the Duke University School of Law.
“During my time in the North Carolina Senate, I’ve been an outspoken champion for people over corporations, for individual freedoms over ideology, and for smart investments in our state’s future,” according to her campaign website. “My campaigns are funded by grassroots donors and supporters like you and I’m scandal-free. My mission has always been to stand up against corruption, corporate greed, and bad government.”
The website says she was “running to bring those values and that record to the Department of Insurance.”
Marcus used rate hikes as a wedge issue during her campaign to unseat Causey. Marcus claimed Causey had approved 16 rate hikes during his eight years in office.
Causey responded to criticisms over homeowner rate hikes in a recent video published Sept. 24 that explained the N.C. Rate Bureau makes rate hike requests, not his office. There is a 50-day open comment window following a request and then the commissioner approves or rejects the request. The commissioner can also negotiate,
“As your commissioner, I take my consumer protection role seriously,” Causey says in the video. “That’s why I’ve said ‘no’ every time the rate bureau has asked for an increase, and I’ll continue to fight for lower rates for all North Carolinians.”
Causey rejected the N.C. Rate Bureau’s proposed statewide rate hike of 42.2% on homeowners insurance earlier this year as well as rejecting a requested 50.6% rate increase for dwelling policies covering rental and investment properties.
North Carolina is the only state that still has a rate bureau, something Causey wants to see reformed. Marcus didn’t address the issue beyond saying she wanted to get rid of the “rate racket.”
Marcus was endorsed by organizations such as the AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood, Equality NC and Everytown for Gun Safety.
