Oklahoma Has New Insurance Commissioner

Among several gubernatorial and congressional races that were decided in Tuesday’s election, there were also a few Insurance Commissioner positions up for grabs.

One such race was in Oklahoma, where insurance agent John Doak defeated incumbent Commissioner Kim Holland with approximately 54.5 percent of the vote.

Doak, a Republican who campaigned against the federal health insurance reforms which extend insurance coverage to millions more Americans than any plan his party had offered last year, cited his 20-year history as an agent and executive in the insurance industry as part of his campaign for this position.

The incumbent Holland, a Democrate, was appointed to her post by Governor Brad Henry in 2005, and won a full term the following year. She, too, was an insurance agent before becoming commissioner.

In part of the Republican sweep of the midwest, Oklahoma will also have a new governor next year. Mary Fallen will be the first women in Oklahoma’s history to serve in the governor’s office. Currently, she is a United States Representative from Edmond.

Her opponent, Jari Askins, a Democrat, currently serves as Oklahoma’s lieutenant governor.