Stacy A. Korsgaden is an American insurance professional, small business owner, and lifelong Californian. A member of the Republican Party, she is a licensed insurance agent (License #0750748) who has held an active California insurance license since 1988 — nearly 40 years of direct experience in the field. She built a full-service, multiline insurance and financial services agency from the ground up, now servicing nearly 8,000 policies covering home, health, auto, life, and business insurance, as well as financial advising. She is currently a candidate for California Insurance Commissioner in the June 2026 primary election.
Korsgaden earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and holds a certificate in professional financial planning from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a resident of Grover Beach, California, on the Central Coast. She has previously run for the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, the Grover Beach mayoral seat, and for California Insurance Commissioner in 2022, when she lost to incumbent Ricardo Lara in the general election.
Korsgaden announced her 2026 campaign in August 2025, citing the state’s deepening insurance crisis as her motivation. She has spoken personally about losing her father in a car accident and witnessing firsthand the life-changing importance — and failures — of insurance. She was endorsed by the California Republican Party for the 2026 race.
Endorsements
California Republican Party. A full list is available on her campaign website.
Reputation/Scandals/Successes
Core Strengths and Positive Reputation
- Unmatched Industry Experience: Korsgaden is the only candidate in the race who has spent an entire career — nearly 40 years — working directly in the insurance marketplace as an agent, agency owner, and client advocate. She has written policies, handled claims, managed risk, and worked directly with regulators, giving her a ground-level perspective on system failures that no other candidate can claim.
- Free-Market Reform Platform: She proposes to restore competition by attracting new insurers back to California, establish a new Business Division within the Department of Insurance in her first 100 days, publish a public consumer advocacy hub, streamline rate review timelines, and crack down aggressively on insurance fraud. Her approach centers on reducing regulatory burdens she argues have driven carriers out of the state.
- Consumer Watchdog Positioning: Despite running as a Republican, Korsgaden has positioned herself as an independent consumer champion, pledging not to accept insurance industry money and arguing the office should serve policyholders, not the industry. She ran against and lost to incumbent Ricardo Lara in 2022, giving her statewide campaign experience in this specific race.
- Only Non-Politician in the Race: Korsgaden explicitly contrasts herself with the Democratic field of career politicians, arguing the insurance commissioner role demands technical competence and real-world marketplace experience, not political credentials or ideology.
Criticisms and Vulnerabilities
- January 6 Attendance: Regional reporting has flagged that Korsgaden attended the January 6, 2021 rally in Washington, D.C. She has addressed this publicly, stating she did not condone the subsequent violence at the Capitol. The issue has been raised by opponents and community members questioning her judgment and values.
- Multiple Prior Electoral Losses: Korsgaden has run for office several times — San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, Grover Beach mayor, and the 2022 Insurance Commissioner general election — without winning. Critics have questioned whether she can broaden her appeal beyond her Central Coast base to compete statewide.
- Republican Disadvantage in California: No Republican has won a statewide constitutional office in California since 2006. Korsgaden’s path to the November general election depends on finishing in the top two of a crowded primary field dominated by well-funded Democrats. Analysts generally view the race as likely to produce two Democratic general election finalists.
- Low Fundraising: Korsgaden has raised significantly less money than the leading Democratic candidates — Ben Allen ($669K), Patrick Wolff ($976K), and Jane Kim ($521K) — limiting her campaign’s reach and visibility in a statewide race.
Campaign Contributors
Korsgaden has raised less than the leading candidates, currently over $130K. She has pledged not to accept insurance industry money, however her largest contributor is Golden Bear Insurance Company. Full contributor details are available at Transparency USA.
