What looked like a close race for Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance turned into a blow-out August 4 when Republican incumbent Mike Chaney defeated primary challenger John Mosley by a margin of 72-28.
Some earlier polls actually had Mosley leading by a small margin.
Mosley, owner of two automotive body shops, ran on a platform of “standing up to insurance companies” and stopping them from increasing profits “at the expense of taxpayers.” He also tried to tie Chaney to Obamacare.
“We stayed positive, so I am happy about that,” Chaney said at his victory party. He committed to addressing insurance rates and improving access to flood and health insurance.
For his part, Mosley vowed to run again if he isn’t happy with how Chaney handles the office over the next four years. “We fought more than just the other candidate,” he said in a concession published on his Facebook page. “We fought at least one of the largest insurance companies in the country who showed how low they would go.”
He didn’t name the insurance company in his concession, but he got into the race at least partly because of a dispute with
State Farm over how claims were handled in his and other body shops. He took the dispute to Chaney’s office but was not satisfied with the results.
Mosley also refused to accept campaign contributions from insurance companies, agencies or their political action committees.
Asked by a local newspaper reporter whether Chaney’s willingness to accept campaign contributions from the industry had an affect on how he performed his job, he answered: “How can it not? I see that campaign contribution, what am I going to think? That cloud of doubt is hanging there.”
To which Chaney said “prove it,” adding that he would accept legal contributions from anyone. He said Mosley receives most of his income indirectly from insurance companies paying claims filed by his body shop clients.
Chaney will now face Reform Party candidate Johnny McLeod in November’s general election.
