> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ivn.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Can Ben Allen Fight Off Jane Kim and the DSA Machine to Become California’s 9th Insurance Commissioner? - URL: https://ivn.us/can-ben-allen-fight-off-jane-kim-and-the-dsa-machine-to-become-californias-9th-insurance-commissioner/ - Published: 2026-10-21T20:45:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T22:19:19.000Z - Description: In California's first-ever race for an elected insurance commissioner between two Democrats, state Sen. Ben Allen fights to overcome Jane Kim's lead from the June 2 primary. - Author: Cara Brown McCormick - Tags: California 2026, Campaigns, California The far left's top target this year is the California Insurance Commissioner's Office, where [Jane Kim](https://www.janekim.org/?ref=ivn.us) faces state [Sen. Ben Allen](https://sd24.senate.ca.gov/biography?ref=ivn.us). For the [first time](https://www.independent.com/2026/06/12/california-insurance-commissioner-race-is-set-kim-vs-allen/?ref=ivn.us) since the office became elected, two Democrats will compete for it. Kim led the June primary with 27.4 percent, ahead of Allen's 19.4 percent in [certified results](https://www.smdp.com/election-results-2026-primary/?ref=ivn.us). Kim is a former San Francisco supervisor and was Bernie Sanders' California political director in 2020 ([SPUR](https://www.spur.org/news/2026-05-19/rebuilding-affordable-sustainable-insurance-market-insurance-commissioner?ref=ivn.us)). She led the California Working Families Party and announced the group's endorsement of Mai Vang for Congress last year ([Working Families Party](https://workingfamilies.org/2025/09/california-working-families-party-endorses-mai-vang-in-ca-7/?ref=ivn.us)). In January, WFP endorsed Kim over Allen and pledged a statewide organizing effort ([Working Families Party](https://workingfamilies.org/2026/01/wfp-endorses-jane-kim-for-california-insurance-commissioner/?ref=ivn.us)). DSA-LA also recommends Kim, and California DSA lists Kim as its pick ([DSA-LA](https://voterguide.dsa-la.org/?ref=ivn.us)). DSA-San Diego recommends Kim over Allen. ([DSA-SD](https://www.dsasandiego.org/november-2026-voter-guide?ref=ivn.us)) Sanders, SEIU California, and the California Teachers Association also back Kim. According to Cal Matters, “in elections, the WFP plays a generally similar role as the Democratic Socialists of America.” A recent IVP survey shows the Kim-Allen race as the most open contest on California's ballot. Most voters have not made up their minds. In IVP's split-sample survey of the insurance commissioner’s race, respondents who saw only the two candidates' names were evenly divided, with nearly two-thirds undecided. When respondents were told that the Democratic Socialists of America recommend Kim and that Senator Allen is a “mainstream” Democrat, Senator Allen broke away with a 13-point lead over Kim. (Respondents favored Allen 36 percent to 23 percent ([IVN](https://ivn.us/new-ca-poll-voter-id-measure-leads-today-its-undecided-voters-point-the-other-way/?ref=ivn.us)).) [New CA Poll: Voter ID Measure Leads Today. Its Undecided Voters Point the Other WayA new California poll shows Prop. 39 has a narrow lead among likely voters, but undecided voters—mostly Democrats—could swing the race either way. An analysis of who is undecided reveals the true state of close contests.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/icon/ivn-square-logo-25c0df06-9a4a-4b2c-a895-6478dd97fbbc.png)Independent Voter NewsCara Brown McCormick![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/thumbnail/california-poll-2026-voter-id-prop-39-undecided-voters-featured-1-68d758b4-384c-4cd2-a333-c07dc7d125b1.png)](https://ivn.us/new-ca-poll-voter-id-measure-leads-today-its-undecided-voters-point-the-other-way/) Kim proposes a state-run "natural disaster insurance for all" program to include every California home, but she has not revealed its cost to taxpayers. Senator Allen [said Kim’s plan would bankrupt the state](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hVO0mMBnns&ref=ivn.us). He has called for more oversight of the FAIR Plan. “We shouldn’t be building new construction that is irresponsible in high-risk areas. We should be looking for ways to carefully and sensitively encourage people to pull back from high-risk areas,” he said in a recent forum. ## **Ben Allen (D)** State Sen.[ ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben%5FAllen%5F%28California%5Fpolitician%29?ref=ivn.us)[Ben Allen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben%5FAllen%5F%28California%5Fpolitician%29?ref=ivn.us), 48, was born and raised in Santa Monica and has represented the Westside of Los Angeles in the California State Senate since 2014\. He is married with two children. The January 2025 Los Angeles fires destroyed 23,000 acres of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu in Allen’s Senate district. Every single home on the side of Sunset Boulevard burned. The Palisades fire burned at the same time as the Eaton Fire. He is running for insurance commissioner because, in representing the area, "I got to see the dysfunction of the insurance system up close," he told[ ](https://abc7.com/post/meet-ben-allen-jane-kim-candidates-californias-insurance-commissioner-race/19597855/?ref=ivn.us)[ABC7](https://abc7.com/post/meet-ben-allen-jane-kim-candidates-californias-insurance-commissioner-race/19597855/?ref=ivn.us). He is focused on consumer protection after disasters, stabilizing the insurance market, and making the Department of Insurance more transparent. Allen earned the endorsement of the California Democratic Party: > *“CADEM is proud to endorse Ben Allen…When fire tore through the Palisades, Ben Allen helped bring leaders together, secured funding to rebuild, and wrote legislation to help fire victims rebuild their lives and stand up to lowball insurance payouts.”* [Allen authored](https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279846?ref=ivn.us#t=212&f=7574657d85320bac65e24e02a5947e87) [SB 1209](https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca%5F202520260sb1209?ref=ivn.us), which Governor Newsom signed into law in September, allowing California’s insurance commissioner to order insurers to fix problems found in investigations. > *“Now, while most insurers voluntarily comply with actions proposed in the report, there's not a clear mechanism to require remediation of violations. And so this law would allow the insurance commissioner to assess a fine to an insurer for failing to address corrective actions proposed in an examination.” \[*[*Allen testimony*](https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279846?ref=ivn.us#t=212&f=7574657d85320bac65e24e02a5947e87)*\]* Allen is one of three statewide candidates in California who have [broken with their party leadership](https://ivn.us/three-statewide-candidates-side-with-independent-voters-over-party-operatives/) to protect nonpartisan primaries and independent voters' right to participate in elections. Allen holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University, a master's from the University of Cambridge, and a law degree from UC Berkeley. ## **Jane Kim (D)** [Jane Kim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane%5FKim?ref=ivn.us), 49, was born in New York City to parents who immigrated from Seoul, Korea. After graduating from Stanford, she moved to San Francisco. She worked as a political organizer in Chinatown and earned a law degree from UC Berkeley. Kim was a Green Party member before registering as a Democrat in 2008. Kim was elected to the San Francisco Board of Education, became its president, and then represented District 6, covering SoMa, the Tenderloin, and Mid-Market. She was the first Korean American elected official in San Francisco. She served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011 to 2019. Kim narrowly lost a 2016 State Senate race to Scott Wiener, 49 percent to 51 percent, and finished third in the 2018 San Francisco mayoral race. She authored Proposition W, the real estate transfer tax that funded free tuition at City College of San Francisco. Since leaving office six years ago, she has worked for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. She founded and led the Working Families Party's California chapter. Earlier this month, she joined Sanders at a San Francisco rally supporting Proposition 40, the billionaire tax. Critics point to Kim’s lack of insurance industry experience, but Kim says the role is political in nature. > ***"This role is ultimately a political role. We're not in the position we're in because we didn't elect an actuary," Kim told the***[](https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/20/jane-kim-insurance-commissioner/?ref=ivn.us)[***San Francisco Standard***](https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/20/jane-kim-insurance-commissioner/?ref=ivn.us)***.*** ## **About the Office** The Insurance Commissioner runs the California Department of Insurance, which regulates home, auto, life, workers' compensation, and some health coverage. The insurance commissioner approves the rates insurers can charge for homeowners, auto, and business policies. California is one of only 11 states that elect their insurance commissioner. The governor appointed the commissioner until voters passed Proposition 103 in 1988. The commissioner oversees what[ ](https://www.kqed.org/science/2001142/kim-leads-early-as-insurance-commissioner-race-heads-toward-general-election?ref=ivn.us)[KQED](https://www.kqed.org/science/2001142/kim-leads-early-as-insurance-commissioner-race-heads-toward-general-election?ref=ivn.us) describes as a $3 trillion industry. Homeowner premiums rose 84 percent between 2020 and March 2026, and many insurers have canceled policies or stopped writing new ones. ## **Democratic Socialists vs. the Democratic Establishment** Kim is on the slate of 25 candidates the California Democratic Socialists and the California Working Families Party are running statewide this fall, as IVN[ ](https://ivn.us/15-races-where-democratic-socialists-can-reshape-california-politics/)[covered earlier this month](https://ivn.us/15-races-where-democratic-socialists-can-reshape-california-politics/). In a statewide race with no Republican on the ballot, the distinction between democratic socialist and moderate Democrat matters. According to[ ](https://calmatters.org/economy/2026/08/insurance-commissioner-progressive-wave/?ref=ivn.us)[CalMatters](https://calmatters.org/economy/2026/08/insurance-commissioner-progressive-wave/?ref=ivn.us), Kim is betting that California voters want the same kind of change that elected Zohran Mamdani as the first democratic socialist mayor of New York City. However, Kim lost the California Democratic Party endorsement at the February convention with about 42 percent of delegate votes going for Senator Allen. Some Kim delegates said their votes did not appear to be counted, and Kim called for a recount. Working Families Party state director Jorge Contreras called the CDP’s endorsement of Allen out of touch. > ***“CADEM is proud to endorse Ben Allen for California Insurance Commissioner! When fire tore through the Palisades, Ben Allen helped bring leaders together, secured funding to rebuild, and wrote legislation to help fire victims rebuild their lives and stand up to lowball insurance payouts. California needs an Insurance Commissioner who will protect consumers and hold companies accountable.” \[Endorsement of Ben Allen, the California Democratic Party, August 2\]*** With Nithya Raman, a DSA-aligned candidate, challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a competitive Democrat-versus-Democrat race, Los Angeles will see heavy progressive turnout efforts in its high-density neighborhoods. That works in Jane Kim’s favor, since it brings her likely voters to the polls in Ben Allen’s home base. The open question is whether Tom Steyer, or another billionaire, will bankroll the DSA and WFP turnout and ballot collection operations for Raman and Kim at the level Steyer did in June, when his own name was on the ballot. **Wildfire and Socialized Disaster Insurance** Allen and Kim both want to lower rates and reduce wildfire risk, but they split ideologically on how far the state should go. Kim's signature proposal is "Natural Disaster Insurance for All," a state-run, nonprofit program modeled on systems in New Zealand and France. It would automatically cover every existing home in California, funded by premiums. Surplus money would go back to policyholders, not shareholders. The plan would need legislative approval. Kim has never explained to voters just how her program will be funded or how much it will cost. Allen called Kim’s plan an "unprecedented idea that has very little chance of ever getting passed," according to[ ](https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/ben-allen-jane-kim-california-insurance-commissioner/?ref=ivn.us)[Mission Local](https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/ben-allen-jane-kim-california-insurance-commissioner/?ref=ivn.us). In a forum at the Commonwealth Club, he said Kim’s plan would bankrupt the state. Allen instead wants the commissioner to drive a statewide shift toward risk reduction and ensure homeowners and communities that harden against fire are rewarded with coverage they can buy and afford. ## **Rates and Accountability** The next commissioner inherits Commissioner Lara’s [Sustainable Insurance Strategy](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/180-climate-change/Sustainable-Insurance-Strategy-Updates.cfm?ref=ivn.us), the largest regulatory overhaul in a generation. It speeds up rate reviews and lets insurers build catastrophe models and reinsurance costs into their rates, in exchange for commitments to write more policies in fire-prone areas. Kim wants to cap insurance executive pay, publish a public dashboard of each insurer's claim denial rates and payment times, and expand the state's low-cost auto insurance program to more drivers. She would also bar the commissioner and department staff from going straight to industry work after leaving. Allen points to his legislative record. His SB 1209 gives the commissioner faster tools to force insurers to fix problems found in investigations, and he has said he would modernize the Department of Insurance so it works more efficiently for consumers. ## **Endorsements from Different Wings of the Democratic Party** Kim is recommended by California DSA, DSA-LA, and DSA-San Diego; U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders; U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna; SEIU California; the California Teachers Association; the California Nurses Association; and the UFCW Western States Council. Senator Allen carries the endorsement of the California Democratic Party, both of California's U.S. senators, California Environmental Voters, the Sierra Club, and California Professional Firefighters. The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board also endorsed Allen. ## **Independent and Republican Voters Hold the Swing** This is exactly the kind of campaign where California's Top Two system changes the math and where NPP voters have real power to influence a general election. With two Democrats on the ballot, it is a truly competitive race, unlike the other D vs. R races on the statewide ballot. Kim's primary lead in June showed that her left-of-the-left coalition can win a crowded statewide field. But can Kim win a majority over a more moderate Allen in a head-to-head race once voters from outside her far-left Democratic base are allowed to weigh in? Whoever wins will make history. Both wings of the Democratic Party will certainly be watching this California race to see whose message lands with the voters who actually turn out.