Tim Temple Lends Himself $950,000 For Insurance Commissioner's Race

By Greg LaRose, Louisiana Illuminator

- April 18, 2023

15:07
Brief

• Election 2023

In A Flash
Tim Temple lends himself $950,000 for insurance commissioner’s race

By: Greg LaRose - April 18, 2023 3:07 pm

Voters talk outside a polling place at Edward Hynes Charter School in New Orleans’ Lakeview neighborhood on Nov. 8, 2022. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)

In a move that might shun other candidates from entering the race, Tim Temple has committed $950,000 of his own money to run for Louisiana insurance commissioner. So far, no one else has declared they will enter the race to replace Jim Donelon, who has announced he will not seek re-election.

Temple, a DeRidder native who runs a Baton Rouge family-owned insurance business, self-financed his campaign when he unsuccessfully challenged Donelon four years ago. This time around, he expects to draw more contributions from the insurance industry and its lobbyists with the incumbent out of the race, Ruth Wisher with the Temple campaign said.

Temple’s campaign finance report filed Monday shows he received nearly $168,000 in contributions since Jan. 1. With $1 million already available before the reporting period, Temple, a Republican, now reports $2 million in campaign cash on hand.

Only a couple of names have surfaced as potential entrants in the insurance commissioner’s race, but others could come forward after the current legislative session where several insurance related matters are being debated.

Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie, is said to be considering the race. A finance report filed in February indicated his campaign had a negative cash balance of roughly $2,100 at the end of 2022.

State Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, has also mentioned an interest. His campaign fund totalled $21,000 as of Dec. 31, 2022.

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Greg LaRose

Greg LaRose has covered news for more than 30 years in Louisiana. Before coming to the Louisiana Illuminator, he was the chief investigative reporter for WDSU-TV in New Orleans. He previously led the government and politics team for The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com, and was editor in chief at New Orleans CityBusiness. Greg's other career stops include Tiger Rag, South Baton Rouge Journal, the Covington News Banner, Louisiana Radio Network and multiple radio stations.

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