Former SLO County supervisor candidate announces run for statewide office
A San Luis Obispo County insurance professional and three-time local political candidate has announced a new campaign for public office: She will run for California insurance commissioner.
Republican Stacy Korsgaden, who previously ran and lost races for District 3 supervisor in 2020 and 2022 along with a race for Mayor of Grover Beach in 2022, will run for the role of California insurance commissioner against an open field of opponents in 2026 to replace current Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who has held the role since 2018 and will be termed out.
Korsgaden, who lives in Grover Beach and has worked as a licensed insurance professional and financial adviser for more than 30 years, announced her candidacy in a July 31 news release posted to her campaign’s Facebook page, saying the state’s insurance system is flawed and in need of fixing.
“California’s insurance market is broken, and working families are paying the price,” Korsgaden said in the release. “Policies are being canceled, costs are skyrocketing and options are shrinking.”
“It’s time for new leadership that puts people before politics,” she continued.
The Tribune reached out to Korsgaden for comment but did not receive a reply as of Tuesday afternoon.
Who else is running for insurance commissioner
Korsgaden is the first Republican to announce a run for the position in the 2026 election.
Former state senator and vice chair of the California Black Caucus Steven Bradford, a Democrat, announced his candidacy for the position in at the start of June. Bradford previously served on the state’s Insurance Committee.
State Sen. Mike McGuire, another Democrat and current president pro tempore of the California State Senate, announced his intentions to run for insurance commissioner as early as October 2023.
In the most recent election for the post, Lara defeated Republican Robert P. Howell, a Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity equipment manufacturer, securing 59.9% of the 10.6 million votes cast in the race, according to Ballotpedia.
Korsgaden’s platform for insurance commissioner
Korsgaden’s campaign will focus on lowering insurance costs, securing more competitive options for homeowners and auto insurance, and fighting insurance cancellations that have impacted California homeowners and small businesses, according to the news release.
“Decades of one-party control and failed Democratic policies have created a crisis,” Korsgaden said. “I’ll bring common sense, real-world experience and a commitment to fixing what’s broken.”
According to her campaign website, Korsgaden became interested in insurance after the death of her father in a car accident.
“The life insurance policy he had taken out just weeks earlier meant her family could stay afloat during that difficult time,” Korsgaden’s campaign website read. “The experience shaped Stacy’s lifelong mission: to help families build financial security and protect what matters most.”
Candidate attended Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington, D.C.
Aside from her local candidacies, Korsgaden attracted attention when she attended the Jan. 6, 2021, political rally protesting alleged election interference in the 2020 presidential election that ended in an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building.
She said she was not involved in the violent storming of the building that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
In her upcoming campaign, Korsgaden is echoing President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” message with a similar slogan of her own — “Make Insurance Great Again” — according to her campaign website.
