The primary margin shows the value of the experience

DELAWARE

Best News & Research Service – September 11, 2024 2:39 PM (EDT)

DOVER, Del. //BestWire// – Incumbent Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro defeated Kayode Abegunde in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary for commissioner and will face Republican Ralph Taylor in the November general election.

Taylor ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Navarro, who received 73.96 percent of the vote, said the primary results show voters understand the importance of having an experienced insurance commissioner. Heading into the general election, he will continue to use his eight years of experience as insurance commissioner to gain voter support.

“It takes years to understand the complexity of this position,” Navarro said. “You really need a regulator that understands the complexity of the insurance market in this day and age.”

He said his experience in Delaware, as well as nationally, makes him the right person for the job.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing Delaware policyholders, Navarro said.

“We’re not a Gulf state, and we’ve usually been spared, knock on wood, big tropical storms. But we do get the remnants of tropical storms,” he said. “The frequency and severity of these storms has increased exponentially. Now we see thousand-year storms every two years.”

In addition, Navarro’s office recently established a long-term care insurance unit that helps consumers navigate these “increasingly confusing and complex” insurance products, the commissioner said in a statement ( BestWire 23 July 2024).

The Delaware Department of Insurance has not been without controversy during Navarro’s tenure as the office faces allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation from former employees (BestWire, January 10, 2023). In June, a court found department management not guilty of allegations of retaliation against a former human resources director and comptroller (BestWire June 18, 2024).

While Navarro’s opponent in the general election has no experience as a commissioner, Taylor has more than three decades of experience in public service, according to the Republican candidate’s campaign website.

His experience includes working as a police officer and serving on the Capital School District Board as well as the Dover City Council. During his four-year term as a council member, Taylor chaired the Safety, Advisory and Transportation Committee.

In addition to his civilian work, Taylor owns a pest control business with his wife, according to his campaign website.

Attempts to get further comment from Taylor were not immediately successful.

(By Steve Hallo, Senior Associate Editor, BestWire: [email protected])