Assemblyman Quackenbush Joins Insurance Commissioner’s Race

Saying that his campaign will focus on obtaining lower insurance rates and greater competition between insurers to benefit consumers, Assemblyman Charles W. Quackenbush (R-Cupertino) has announced that he is running for state insurance commissioner.

A businessman who was first elected to the Assembly in 1986, Quackenbush, 39, said Thursday that he understands insurance problems because he and his wife started a temporary service that evolved into a consulting firm, a computer software company, and ultimately an engineering construction firm.

“We need an insurance commissioner who aggressively attacks the root causes of fewer insurance choices and stubbornly high insurance rates,” he said.

The Northern California legislator, who is vice chairman of the Revenue and Taxation Committee, recently introduced a bill calling for a “consumers bill of rights” designed to help consumers shop for insurance and resolve their disputes with insurance companies.

In the June Republican primary, Quackenbush will face Wes Bannister, the 1990 nominee for state insurance commissioner, and Jim Conran, director of the state Department of Consumer Affairs.