Nathaniel McLaughlin is running for the Democratic nomination for state insurance commissioner.
McLaughlin, from Kansas City, Kansas, is the only Democratic candidate for the insurance commissioner office. Two Republicans, Clark Shultz of Lindsborg and Vicki Schmidt of Topeka, are running in the primary on Aug. 7 (see https://wyandotteonline.com/the-overlooked-power-spots-on-the-ballot-in-kansas-on-tuesday/ for more information about the Republican candidates).
Although the campaign will not get too busy until closer to the general election in November, McLauglin has been making campaign appearances recently.
“My intent is to still be visible to the voters,” McLaughlin said. “When anybody’s hired, they need to make themselves visible.”
McLaughlin, a retired health care executive, said this campaign will be on the issues, and the candidates have agreed to stick to discussing issues.
He said his top issue will be to advocate for the thousands of people in the state who do not have health insurance.
Access to affordable health care for everyone is an important issue to him. McLaughlin would be an advocate of leveling the playing field in the insurance marketplace for all kinds of insurance to be affordable and to meet the needs of policyholders.
McLaughlin, who is retired, in 1980 started working with the Marriott Management Company, then it was merged with Sodexo Healthcare Services, where he managed a $33 million health care business in a seven-state area.
A past president of the Kansas City, Kansas, NAACP and the Kansas State NAACP, McLaughlin also has served as chairman of the Wyandotte County Black Democrats Caucus. From 2005 to 2011 he was a commissioner on the Kansas City, Kansas, Housing Authority Board.
McLaughlin has a Bachelor of Science degree from Winston-Salem (North Carolina) State University, with additional college studies at Wake Forest University.
In 2018, he originally was interested in running for secretary of state, then changed to the insurance commissioner contest. In 2016, McLaughlin ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District, and Jay Sidie won the primary contest.
More information is at his campaign website, https://nathanielforkansas.com/.