Chaney to seek sixth term as Mississippi Insurance Commissioner

• Chaney is currently the longest serving insurance commissioner in the U.S. He has cruised to being re-elected every four years since 2007.

Mike Chaney confirmed to Magnolia Tribune on Tuesday that he is planning to seek re-election for a sixth four-year term as Mississippi’s Insurance Commissioner. The Republican was first elected to the statewide office in 2007.

Chaney, a veteran of the United States Army who served in Vietnam, is currently the longest serving insurance commissioner in the U.S. He is also the State Fire Marshall.

Mississippi has only had two Insurance Commissioners in the last 50-plus years. George Dale, a Democrat, served for 32 years before he retired in 2007. After serving 15 years in the Legislature – seven years in the House of Representatives and eight years in the Senate – Chaney followed Dale and has served in the post ever since.

Chaney, 82, has cruised to being re-elected every four years, winning General Election contests by nearly 20 points in 2023, 23 points in 2019, and 28 points in 2011. He was unopposed in the 2015 General Election.

The longtime commissioner reported $197,000 cash on hand in his campaign account at the end of 2025. Chaney told Magnolia Tribune that he hosted a “great fundraiser” this week in Jackson, adding to his strong start on the campaign trail heading into 2027.

Notably, Chaney will not be on the stump this year at the Neshoba County Fair as he has been in years past. Chaney will be out of town representing the state at a conference this year. The commissioner said fair organizers were unable to accommodate his schedule.

Possible 2027 Field

State Senator Walter Michel (R), chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee, has been rumored among those considering a run for the Insurance Commissioner seat but has not made his intentions for 2027 public.

Michel is sitting on nearly $1.3 million between his campaign accounts. He has been in the Senate since 2016 representing District 25 and previously served 12 years in the House as well.

No Democrat has emerged as of yet as a possible candidate for Insurance Commissioner in 2027. Previous Democrat candidates who have contested Chaney for the office have lacked in campaign funding and name ID.

Elected or Appointed?

Ahead of the 2025 legislative session, Commissioner Chaney proposed changing his elected office to an appointed position by the end of his current term, which expires in January 2028.

He suggested that the position be considered for a six-year term appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the State Senate. However, lawmakers balked at Chaney’s proposal.

The statewide elected positions of Insurance Commissioner and Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner are not codified in the Mississippi Constitution, meaning they are subject to the will of the Legislature and would not require a vote of the public to change the offices from elected to appointed.

Following that episode with the Legislature, Chaney made it clear in the summer of 2025 at the Neshoba County Fair that he was eyeing another run for the office.