Craig MacIntyre

Craig MacIntyre earned a high school diploma from Assumption High School, a bachelor's degree from Chaminade University in 1987, and a graduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1988.

His career experience includes working as an executive.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have over 30 years insurance industry experience in addition to being a small business owner, educator and family man. I believe that every Oklahoman has a right and privilege to vote for Insurance Commissioner to elect someone who will actually address the issues everyone faces today.

I believe in transparency and fairness for Oklahomans when it comes to insurance regulation. I have worked in pricing, product creation, interaction with regulators and legislators solving complex problems in multiple states. I have the ability to work with people, regardless of party, to solve the problems we face. Insurance impacts almost every aspect of our lives and for too long we have just allowed the status quo.

Oklahomans can all agree that our rates are too high, our claims service is increasingly one sided and when we need insurance it is less and less available. We need a Commissioner that can work within the laws crafted by the legislature to fix these issues. It will take creative new ideas and technical industry experience from a political outsider that is not tied to any special interest groups. I am the only candidate running that fits that bill.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Oklahomans deserve fair Affordable insurance rates. The current system is unfairly balanced towards the insurance industry. The commissioner has limited tools to address rate issues when rates are Excessive. I have worked with the legislature to fix this. Currently a bill is headed to the Governors desk for signature that gives the power back to the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner to ensure that all rates are fair and not excessive. If enacted I promise that I will use all of the tools available to me to ensure that any rates in the state of Oklahoma are fair, transparent and still adequate to ensure the insurance industry thrives while not over charging every day Oklahomans.When claims happen (we do live in Oklahoma after all), I want to make sure that all Oklahomans have Acceptable claims service. This means that the claim is handled transparently, efficiently, timely and that they are paid fairly. Nobody should be short-changed at a time when they are facing a crisis. Nobody uses insurance except when bad things happen - this is not a time when unfair practices should be condoned and my department will not allow that. While insurance companies should be protected from fraud, this is no excuse to treat policyholders unfairly.

Every claim should be handled quickly, thoroughly, and fairly. As a policyholder you should expect to be paid what you are owed without having to negotiate, beg or sue.Access to insurance is critical to the continued growth and prosperity of Oklahoma. Giving lip service to solving issues using the free market is what has been done for 16 years - this clearly is not the solution. I believe that one of the jobs of the insurance commissioner is to use creative ideas to work with the insurance industry and the legislature to come up with ideas that encourage companies to want to write insurance in Oklahoma and incentivize them for doing so. We are not the only state with extreme weather issues yet we are the state that has done the least to address it. Under my leadership we will fix that.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that insurance is the bedrock of the financial stability of our state. It affects every part of our lives from the cost of groceries to the affordability of our housing. We can work towards creating a better environment for insurers while at the same time improving claims service and rates. We need to ensure that all Oklahomans can afford insurance to meet their needs and that this insurance is there for them when needed. Oklahoma needs an advocate to balance the scales to ensure fairness and transparency.