NOAH MACK THE OKLAHOMA NEWS REPORT.

NOAH.

THANK YOU.

NOW, ANOTHER KEY RACE INVOLVES THE OFFICE OF INSURANCE COMMISSIONER.

REPUBLICAN GLEN MULREADY IS TERM LIMITED.

ON TUESDAY NIGHT, REPUBLICANS BOB SULLIVAN AND MARTY QUINN MOVED ON TO THE RUNOFF ELECTION ON AUGUST 25TH, ADVANCING PAST CHRIS MEREDITH AND GRETA SCHULER.

ONE OF THEM WILL REPRESENT THE GOP AGAINST DEMOCRAT CRAIG MCINTYRE IN NOVEMBER'S GENERAL ELECTION.

NOW, WE HEARD FROM ALL FOUR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES DURING A ONE HOUR FORUM AT OUR OETA STUDIOS ON JUNE 9TH.

BECAUSE CRAIG MCINTYRE DID NOT FACE A PRIMARY OPPONENT, WE ELECTED TO INTERVIEW HIM SEPARATELY THE NEXT DAY.

I'M RICH LENZ, ALONG WITH REPORTER JAKE HOLMAN, WITH DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE CRAIG MCINTYRE AND CRAIG, WE GAVE THE REPUBLICANS A CHANCE TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.

THANK YOU, RICH G. SO I'M A DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR FOR THE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER POSITION FOR THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA.

I'VE GOT 35 PLUS YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE INSURANCE WORLD, PRIMARILY AS AN ACTUARY, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, WORKED WITH LEGISLATORS, WORKED WITH INSURANCE DEPARTMENTS, MANAGED TEAMS, TESTIFIED BEFORE LEGISLATURES.

SO I'VE DONE LOTS OF THE INSIDE WORK.

I UNDERSTAND HOW RATES ARE MADE.

I UNDERSTAND WHAT INSURANCE COMPANIES CAN AND CANNOT DO.

I'M I'M PRIVILEGED TO BE MARRIED TO A WONDERFUL WOMAN WHO IS ALLOWING ME TO DO THIS.

AND WE'VE GOT FOUR KIDS, THREE OF WHICH STILL LIVE IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA AND EIGHT GRANDKIDS.

SO IF YOU WANT TO KNOW A WEIRD FACT ABOUT ME, I REPRESENTED TEAM USA IN THE WORLD TRIATHLON LONG COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO AND CLEARLY FALLEN OFF THE TABLE SINCE THEN.

SO WE'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT POLITICS IN THE RACE.

AND THE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATES WERE TAKING CARE TO TO BURNISH THEIR CONSERVATIVE CREDENTIALS AS THEY SPOKE AND SAYING THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO WHAT THEY WHAT THEY WOULD BRING TO THE JOB.

THAT'S STRIKING BECAUSE POLLING SHOWS THAT THAT INSURANCE IS NOT A PARTICULARLY POLITICAL ISSUE IN THE STATE.

90% OF PEOPLE ARE SUSPICIOUS OF INSURANCE COMPANIES.

AND ONCE POLICYHOLDERS TO BE ABLE TO SUE INSURANCE COMPANIES.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT AS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE ABOUT POLITICS AND INSURANCE?

I THINK BECAUSE THE CONSTITUTION DECIDED THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A POLITICAL POSITION, WE CAN'T TAKE THAT OUT.

I MEAN, IT'S HARD TO MOVE THE CONSTITUTION.

PERSONALLY, I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE A NONPARTISAN POSITION.

AND I DON'T SAY THAT JUST BECAUSE I'M A DEMOCRAT RUNNING.

SO IT'S KIND OF AN UPHILL RIDE.

BUT I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS A CEO JOB THAT'S TO ADVOCATE FOR 4 MILLION OKLAHOMANS.

IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH IF YOU'RE RED OR BLUE OR WHATEVER THE JOB.

AND THE DEPARTMENT EXISTS TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF OKLAHOMA.

SO ON TUESDAY, THE REPUBLICANS, WE ASKED THEM ABOUT YOU, AND THEY WERE MOSTLY COMPLIMENTARY, ACTUALLY, YES.

HOW ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON THEM?

I THINK ALL FOUR OF THEM ARE QUALIFIED TO BE IN THIS RACE.

I THINK THAT EACH OF THEM COMES WITH A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS INTERESTING BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL OF THEIR PERSPECTIVES COME DOWN TO THE SAME THING, THAT THE FREE MARKET WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEMS.

IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE FREE MARKET SOLVE THE PROBLEMS.

BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'RE MOTIVATED, THEY'RE INTELLIGENT.

AND FOR THE MOST PART, THEY'RE NICE.

I MEAN, I'VE ENJOYED CHATTING WITH THEM AT DIFFERENT EVENTS, AND I THINK OKLAHOMA IS BETTER FOR HAVING A RACE LIKE THIS.

WITH THE THE PASSAGE OF HOUSE BILL 3781, THERE'S NOW A NEED FOR ACTUARIAL FIREPOWER IN THE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT.

THE OTHER CANDIDATES WERE SPEAKING ABOUT THAT AND THEN NOTED THAT YOU HAVE ACTUARIAL EXPERIENCE AS SOMEONE WHO'S DONE ACTUARIAL WORK, HOW DOES THAT BETTER PREPARE YOU FOR SOMEONE WHO'S JUST BEEN IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY?

I THINK UNDERSTANDING WHAT GOES INTO MAKING RATES AND HOW RATES ARE DONE IS SOMETHING THAT, AS YOU SAW, ALL FOUR CANDIDATES WHEN THEY REFERRED TO ACTUARIES LIKE, OH, TALK ABOUT THE NUMBERS.

OH, THERE'S STATISTICS INVOLVED.

THERE'S A LOT MORE THAN THAT.

I THINK.

NOT ONLY ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE TO HIRE AN ACTUARY, AND THREE OF THEM ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO HIRE ONE.

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD A DEPARTMENT.

THE CAPABILITY DOES NOT EXIST, AND IT HAS TO BE UP AND RUNNING BY MAY 15TH, NOT JULY 1ST, BECAUSE THE FIRST RATE FILING THAT THE RATES CHANGE ON JULY 1ST, THE LAW APPLIES, WHICH MEANS IT BACK DATES AT LEAST 30 DAYS.

AND SO THE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO BE SET AND READY TO GO.

AND I'VE SET UP DEPARTMENTS LIKE THAT, AND I UNDERSTAND THE TYPES OF THINGS YOU NEED.

AND THE COMMISSIONER, BECAUSE IT'S NEW, THEY HAVE TO DICTATE POLICY.

AND I THINK FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, YOU GOT TO KIND OF HAVE SOMEBODY WITH THE EXPERIENCE.

WE'VE GOT ABOUT 45 SECONDS LEFT.

WE ASKED THESE THIS OF THE CANDIDATES THE OTHER NIGHT.

DO YOU THINK GLEN MULREADY HAS DONE A GOOD JOB IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS?

YES OR NO?

AND EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER.

YES AND NO.

I THINK GLEN HAS DONE A GREAT JOB ON THE STRUCTURAL SIDE OF INSURANCE.

WE'RE NOW A LEADER IN CAPTIVE INSURANCE MARKETS.

WE'RE A LEADER IN TRANSFER OF INSURANCE IN THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ACTUALLY LIKE GLEN.

SO THAT'S GOOD.

BUT FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA, I THINK HE'S KIND OF MISSED THE BOAT.

AND I THINK HE SHOULD HAVE DECLARED A NONCOMPETITIVE MARKET A YEAR AGO BECAUSE EVEN IF IT DIDN'T GET THE DECLARATION DIDN'T GO THROUGH AND IT WASN'T MADE, IT WOULD HAVE PUT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ON NOTICE.

AND I THINK WE WOULD HAVE BETTER OUTCOMES AT THIS POINT.

J.C.

ABOUT 30S LEFT.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE?

SURE.

CRAIG, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU THINK VOTERS SHOULD REALLY KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I THINK THAT WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW IS THAT I'M GOING TO BE HERE FOR THEM.

THE JOB IS NOT TO ADVOCATE FOR INSURANCE COMPANIES.

INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE LOTS OF ADVOCATES ON THEIR OWN SIDE.

THE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT, THE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER, IS HERE AS AN ADVOCATE FOR THE CITIZENS.

PART OF THAT IS MAKING SURE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE TREATED FAIRLY.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE PEOPLE WHO VOTE FOR AND DON'T VOTE FOR THE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER DESERVE TO BE TREATED THE BEST.

GREG MCINTYRE, DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE.