Goodwin Victorious After "Marathon" Campaign for Re-election as NC Insurance Commissioner

Last night, surrounded by family and friends, NC Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin won his race for re-election in a contest that was closer than expected. The closeness of the campaign was due almost solely to the Romney/McCrory successes above him on the ballot and the residual concerns by some in coastal North Carolina regarding a homeowners insurance increase that Goodwin's predecessor (and not Goodwin) approved four years earlier.

Goodwin said:

A win is a win is a win. In baseball, you only need one run to win the World Series. In the Super Bowl, you win the trophy if you're one inch over the goal line. In my re-election campaign, I wasn't looking for a great win but hoped that voters were looking for a "Good Win" in the Insurance Commissioner's race!

By last reports, the Hamlet native won by a margin of four points, 52% to 48%.

Goodwin spent all day Wednesday receiving and responding to messages from well-wishers.

On his Facebook account he posted:

I want thank everyone over the course of the last several years (not just months) who volunteered, contributed to, and supported my campaign for re-election as our state Insurance Commissioner. The race ending last night was truly a marathon, but together we made it across the finish line last night. Again, an endless supply of thanks, my friends!

Insurance Commissioner Goodwin, to make sure as many supporters as possible got the word, also sent out a wide-ranging email that read:

Dear Friend,

I cannot thank you enough for your support through this marathon of a campaign. I have crisscrossed the great state of North Carolina many times over the past several months, and nothing has been more rewarding than to meet all of you who have helped launch me into a second term as your Insurance Commissioner.

You may have heard me say that this is a serious job for a serious candidate. Thank you for taking my vision for the Department of Insurance seriously; I would not be here without you.

I am proud of all that we have accomplished so far, but I truly believe the best years are yet to come. I am fortunate to have a great team around me, and we all look forward to continuing to serve you.

Thank you,

Wayne Goodwin, Insurance Commissioner

And in a public message to his 415 or so employees at the NC Department of Insurance, Goodwin said:

Good morning!

You’ve probably heard the results of an event that concluded last night, an event that I rightly compared to a marathon.

Now that the marathon is over – and the race is won – I want to share with you what I’ve heard from Manteo to Murphy, from Eden to Ellerbe, particularly over the last year. That is, folks deeply appreciate the work of our Department of Insurance. Our team – yes, our team – helps so many people in so many ways that it’s not surprising that people automatically think of constituent service and consumer protection when they go to make a decision for state Insurance Commissioner. When the question comes up, “Who’s fighting for us?”, they know we at NCDOI are.

That doesn’t mean we’ve solved every problem. And, yes, we still face challenges – but so do every state agency and our leaders as a whole. We will meet them head on. And I believe we will tackle many of these challenges over the next four years.

All I know with absolute certainty, though, is that there are no better team mates – no one that I’d want to have in my corner more than each of you!

I am humbled to be given another four years to be the leader of this team, and I’m inspired by how collectively we have made such a positive impact on consumer protection, market issues, and public safety/fire safety as we have done.

Now let’s get back to work and keep doing what the people of North Carolina expect from us and get from us every day: Our best.

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Wayne

2012 GOP challenger Mike Causey very graciously called Insurance Commissioner Goodwin at home today to extend his congratulations and appreciation for a well-fought, clean race. "I truly appreciate Mike's sincere comments about the race, and applaud his reaching out to me after the election. He is certainly a believer in public service, evidenced by his four runs for the post. I wish him well and thank him for the personal, ceremonial call," reported Goodwin. "Running for public office is not easy, and I commend folks who put themselves out there for the greater good and to give voters a choice."

Meanwhile, the extensiveness of Insurance Commissioner Goodwin's "ground game" and grassroots network is noteworthy, as is his prowess at fundraising. It is estimated that Goodwin raised more than twice the funds that his predecessor (the 24-year former incumbent Jim Long) raised and more than seven times the sum raised by his 2012 challenger.

After taking a few days of respite, the Tar Heel insurance regulator will be back in the saddle riding off to various places within North Carolina to meet with consumers and professionals, fighting for what's right and serving the great State to the best of ability.