Insurance commissioner candidates make their pitch to Democrats in runoff

With affordability at the center of campaigns this election season, consumer advocates are urging Georgians to pay attention to the race.

“You want to have an insurance commissioner who uses all the tools available under the law of Georgia to hold insurers accountable,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of consumer advocacy group Georgia Watch.

The group does not endorse candidates, but Coyle said advocates are concerned that the insurance commissioner’s office address health insurance claims denials, the use of artificial intelligence to review claims, and make sure insurers cover physical injuries or disabilities and mental health conditions equally.

“If there’s no enforcement action or an appropriate level of enforcement action,” she said, “the big insurers can continue to get away with practices that impact the overall affordability for consumers.”

Longtime politician vs. industry veteran

Waites served three terms in the Georgia House of Representatives representing south metro Atlanta from 2012 to 2017 and was then elected in 2021 to serve in one of Atlanta City Council’s at-large seats.

Under the Gold Dome, she sponsored legislation establishing voluntary donations through state income tax returns and driver’s licenses to fund tuition for children of first responders killed or injured in the line of duty.

On City Council, she championed public safety measures including a crackdown on reckless drivers, a stricter youth curfew and a citywide public safety task force.

“Throughout my time as a Georgia State Representative and as a member of the Atlanta City Council, I have focused on delivering meaningful, people‑centered results," Waites said.

But she has also faced multiple ethics violations at both the state and local levels.

She recently appealed an ethics ruling inside Atlanta City Hall that determined she owes the city nearly $25,000 for using taxpayer money to print and mail newsletters “for the private advantage of her election campaign,” plus $5,000 in fines.

The ethics report, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through an Open Records Request, found Waites “continued use of her city email account for campaign purposes after resigning from the City Council” on March 8 while publicly confirming her bid for Fulton County Clerk on the same day.

The report notes that Waites was also handed two cease-and-desist letters in the weeks following her resignation for shooting campaign videos inside Atlanta City Hall and using the city seal in campaign materials.

The city’s Office of Inspector General upheld the ethics office’s findings. Waites declined to comment on the investigation citing her pending appeal. A hearing is scheduled for September.

Democrats’ other choice is Mathis, who has no political experience but has worked in the industry for more than two decades. Waites has suggested his job experience presents a conflict of interest, but Mathis pushed back, saying he would hold insurance companies accountable.

“Those that know me know that I have made a reputation in my industry as the ‘pushback agent’ to corporate,” he said in an Atlanta Press Club forum last weekend. “Georgians can count on me working for them and not the executives.”

Waites was invited to the APC debates, but she declined, citing a scheduling conflict.

Candidates differ on working with Republicans

If a Democrat wins the race against King in November, they’ll have to work with the General Assembly to get legislation passed.

Waites said she will work alongside Republican lawmakers to address issues like discriminatory insurance practices. She said the next insurance commissioner should be able to work within the bounds of Gov. Brian Kemp’s law limiting jury awards to protect policyholders.

“I bring relationships that are unprecedented at the local, county and state levels of government,” she said. “And I’ve shown that my relationships at the local and state level can get things done.”

She also advocates for stronger consumer protection enforcement through denied claims investigations and creating a “consumer fraud strike force” to go after insurance scams.

“I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat, whether you live on the northside or the southside or whether you’re Black or white,” Waites said. “You are feeling the pain in your insurance rate, and certainly there has to be something that we can do.”

During the APC forum, Mathis blamed the GOP-controlled Legislature for limiting the insurance commissioner’s power over discriminatory practices and rate increases.

He also called for a repeal of Kemp’s overhaul of the state’s civil litigation rules, also known as “tort reform.”

“I believe tort reform under this administration was implemented so they can have a legal way to discriminate against folks,” Mathis said. “This tort reform law has to be reversed.”

Mathis said he would push to create a public tracking system for customer disputes against and investigations into insurers. He also wants fire safety checks — another responsibility of the state office — to be prioritized in rural areas particularly for schools and hospitals.

“I would be a champion for Democrat issues, and I would put the spotlight on Republicans’ hypocrisy in November,” he said.