By admin 
The California Democratic Party endorsed Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, to become the state’s next insurance commissioner at a meeting of the party’s executive board in San Diego on Saturday night.
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The runoff between Allen and attorney Jane Kim, is the only statewide race between two Democrats. In the June primary, Kim received 27% of the vote, compared to 19% for Allen and nearly 16% for the top polling Republican, Stacy Korsgaden.
Among Democrats on Saturday, Allen won 61% of the 295 votes cast compared to 39% for Kim.
On the campaign trail, Allen is pointing to his record in the Legislature and in the aftermath of last year’s Palisades fires as proof he understands the complexities of the market. Kim, a former San Francisco supervisor, is running on an “insurance for all” platform that would aim to create a state-run, single-payer disaster insurance program inspired by a program in New Zealand.
Kim is backed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the California Teachers Association, Working Families Party and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta. Allen is supported by the Consumer Federation of California, U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, the Sierra Club and California Environmental Voters.
In an interview Saturday, Allen pointed to his experience authoring Proposition 4, a $10 billion bond aimed at helping the state prepare for wildfire, floods and other climate emergencies.
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“I’ve worked with and fought the insurance industry, and I think both are really important in this job,” Allen said.
Addressing a Democratic committee focused on equity on Saturday, Kim called the commissioner “the most important job that many Californians have not heard of.”
“This industry is important in our daily lives because it has an outside say on who gets to build wealth, how much it’s going to cost you and how we get to participate in our economy,” Kim said.
Both candidates spent the post-primary period drumming up support ahead of the Democrats’ gathering in San Diego. Delegates attending the California Federation of Labor’s conference on Tuesday will also issue a key endorsement.
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