Insurance Agent, Former Lawmaker in Runoff in Georgia Insurance Commissioner Race

May 21, 2026

Two Democrats, one a longtime insurance agent, will face each other in a June 16 runoff election that will determine who will be on the November general election ballot for Georgia insurance commissioner.

Mathis (Ballotpedia)

Keisha Sean Waites, a former state legislator and Atlanta City Council member, was the largest vote-getter in the Democratic primary Tuesday, winning more than 427,000 votes and 42%. DeAndre Mathis, a State Farm insurance agent in Decatur, took home almost 20% of the vote in a field of five candidates, the Georgia Secretary of State reported.

Since no candidate won a majority of the votes cast in the primary, the runoff is necessary. The winner will face incumbent Commissioner John King, a Republican, in the Nov. 3 general election. King was appointed in 2019 and elected to the post in 2022.

Both Waites and Mathis campaigned on a pledge to end insurers’ use of ZIP codes and credit scores to set premiums for Georgia policyholders, according to news reports.

Chart: Georgia Secretary of State’s Office

Topics Agencies Legislation Georgia

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