Bob Sullivan and Marty Quinn offered contrasting visions for the Insurance Department during a debate focused on soaring homeowner premiums and the state’s insurance market.
OKLAHOMA CITY – With Oklahoma homeowners facing some of the highest insurance premiums in the nation, Republican candidates for insurance commissioner offered sharply different visions Monday for how aggressively the state should oversee insurers and whether Oklahoma’s market is truly competitive.
During a debate hosted by NonDoc and News 9, candidates Bob Sullivan, Marty Quinn, Greta Shuler and Chris Merideth all pledged to work toward lower insurance rates. But the clearest divide emerged between Sullivan, who argued the Insurance Department should more aggressively challenge insurers, and Quinn, who emphasized working with insurance companies to address rising costs.
The debate comes as lawmakers have expanded the authority of the next insurance commissioner through House Bill 3781, which allows the department greater ability to reject insurance rates deemed excessive. The issue has become a focal point in the race as Oklahoma homeowners continue to pay premiums well above the national average.
Sullivan, a certified risk assessment manager, argued Oklahoma’s homeowners insurance market is not genuinely competitive and criticized Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready for declining earlier this year to hold a hearing on the issue.
“The metrics that they’re using to deem Oklahoma a competitive market were metrics handed to them by the American Association of Property and Casualty Insurance Companies,” Sullivan said. He argued a broader analysis would show the market functions more like an “oligopoly.”
Quinn, a former state senator, acknowledged concerns about competition but defended Mulready’s handling of the issue and suggested the debate over market competitiveness has become politicized.
“I’ll be the first one to admit that” the market is not as competitive as it should be, Quinn said. But he argued building trust and relationships with insurers is critical to achieving better outcomes for consumers.
“You build the right relationship with those companies,” Quinn said. “You explain to them how difficult our marketplace is, and at some point in time they’re going to start listening.”
The exchange highlighted a broader philosophical difference between the candidates. Sullivan argued the next commissioner should be willing to push back on insurers and use the office’s regulatory authority more aggressively. Quinn emphasized collaboration and market stability.
Shuler, a Shawnee city councilwoman and longtime insurance professional, sided more closely with Sullivan on the competitiveness question. She argued Oklahoma’s market could already have been declared noncompetitive under previous law and said additional scrutiny of rates is warranted.
“It’s not competitive, and there are a lot of things that could be done to fix that,” Shuler said.
Merideth, an insurance policy analyst and registered lobbyist for Farmers Insurance, argued the competitiveness debate misses the larger issue facing consumers.
“Oklahomans do not care. They care about what’s coming out of their bank account,” Merideth said. “This whole argument is a political argument. It’s a distraction and a waste of time.”
Merideth warned that excessive regulation could discourage insurers from operating in Oklahoma, increasing uncertainty in a market already dealing with severe weather risks, litigation costs and rising claims expenses. Sullivan countered that the state’s current approach has failed to adequately protect consumers.
Despite their disagreements, all four candidates agreed lowering insurance costs should be a top priority for the next commissioner.
Sullivan called reducing premiums “job No. 1” after ensuring insurers remain financially sound. Shuler questioned why Oklahoma’s rates remain significantly higher than those in some states facing similar or greater risks. Quinn pointed to tort reform as one avenue for reducing costs, while Merideth argued the state should focus on identifying and eliminating cost drivers throughout the insurance system.
The winner of the June 16 Republican primary will advance to a likely Aug. 25 runoff before facing Democrat Craig McIntyre in the November general election. The race will determine the successor to Mulready, who is term-limited from seeking reelection.
