In Oklahoma, where property insurers have infuriated people with large price increases and payment denials, the industry has become a top political target of candidates suing companies and vowing to jail insurance executives.
The attacks six weeks before state runoff elections reflect the growing national angst over insurance that is acute in Oklahoma, where candidates say insurers are using deceptive tactics to stonewall or reject valid claims while sharply increasing rates.
Despite being an inland state, Oklahoma has become a sudden and surprising battlefront in the national insurance crisis.
The Republican Party’s “populist strain” includes “a lot of people who have no problem when you go after Big Business,” said Oklahoma State University political scientist Seth McKee.
