Bob Sullivan and Marty Quinn are facing off for the nomination.
Republican voters chose their top two picks for the state's next Insurance Commissioner last month. In a four-way race, Sullivan finished first with 37% of the vote and Quinn finished second with nearly 28%.
Both candidates place priority on increasing competition by recruiting more insurance carriers and holding insurance companies accountable on claim payments and denials. They also want to cut costs and increase transparency among carriers.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed two lawsuits in June and July against State Farm and AllState, alleging the insurance companies failed to pay homeowners for valid hail and wind damage claims.
In both lawsuits, the Attorney General accused te companies violated the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act, the Oklahoma Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, civil conspiracy and unjust enrichment.
A recent report by LendingTree claims Oklahomans pay more to insure their homes than anywhere in the U.S.
Residency questions loom
Both Sullivan and Quinn are insurance industry professionals with substantial experience, but a recent story by Oklahoma Watch points out one may not meet residency requirements.
Oklahoma Watch reports Quinn has been a resident of Arkansas for years, having bought property and voted there after he lost a 2022 Congressional primary race. Quinn stands by his eligibility to run, having released a letter in an early July social media post making his case.
"The law is clear," Quinn says in the letter. "Oklahoma requires candidates for Insurance Commissioner to have been residents of Oklahoma for at least five years, and those years do not have to be in the immediately preceding years before running for office."
AG Drummond isn't so sure, despite a 2025 letter of counsel by Deputy General Counsel Kyle Shifflett seemingly addressing the question, which came from a serving lawmaker.
"Oklahoma law does not require a person seeking to fulfill the five-year residency requirement immediately preceding the election," reads the top of the letter.
So, while the legality of Quinn's nomination is up in the air, it's unclear how it will impact voters.
The winner of the August runoff will face Democrat Craig MacIntyre, who ran unopposed for his party's nomination.
