The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner was created in 1889–90, and became a separate agency in 1907 with an elected commissioner. The current commissioner is Patty Kuderer, a Democrat first elected in 2024 and assumed office in 2025.
In 2014, a bill was introduced to replace the elected commissioner with a 10-person board which would hire the commissioner.GOP Senator has Washington's Insurance Commissioner in her sights. It was passed in both houses but vetoed by Governor Jay Inslee.
In 2015, the office denied applications by a number of association health plans, resulting in a legal dispute with those affected.
Insurance commissioners +List of Washington State insurance commissionersNameYearsPartyJ. H. Schively1909–1913RepublicanH.O. Fishback1913–1933RepublicanWilliam A. Sullivan1933–1961DemocraticLee I. Kueckelhan1961–1969DemocraticKarl Herrmann1969–1977DemocraticRichard G. Marquardt1977–1993RepublicanDeborah Senn1993–2001DemocraticMike Kreidler2001–2025DemocraticPatty Kuderer2025–presentDemocratic
References
External links Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner consumer-focused blog