Ben Allen

Office sought: Insurance Commissioner
Party: Democratic
Ballot designation: California senator

Background

Biography. Ben Allen was born in and lives in Santa Monica, California . Allen graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1996. He earned a B.A., magna cum laude , in history from Harvard University in 2000, an M.Phil. in Latin American studies from the University of Cambridge in 2001, and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, in 2008. His career experience includes working as an attorney. Allen served as president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board of education . [1] [2]

Prior offices and election history

2026

See also: California Insurance Commissioner election, 2026 California Insurance Commissioner election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary) General election The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary. Nonpartisan primary election Nonpartisan primary for California Commissioner of Insurance The following candidates are running in the primary for California Commissioner of Insurance on June 2, 2026. Candidate Submit photo Eric Aarnio (R) Ben Allen (D) Steven Bradford (D) Keith Davis (American Independent Party) Merritt Farren (R) Robert P. Howell (R) Jane Kim (D) Stacy Korsgaden (R) Sean Lee (R) Eduardo Vargas (Peace and Freedom Party) Patrick Wolff (D) There are no incumbents in this race. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2026 — Endorsements

Allen received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Allen’s endorsements as published by their campaign, click here . To send us additional endorsements, click here . U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D) CA Votes Progressive (Sway voting group by June Paniouchkine) CALIFORNIA LIBERAL DEMOCRATS (Sway voting group by JCP YOU KNOW ME) CalMatters Voter Guide (Sway voting group by CalMatters) California Environmental Voters’ Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Environmental Voters) California Federation of Teachers’ Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Federation of Teachers) California Professional Firefighters’ Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Professional Firefighters) California YIMBY’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by California YIMBY) East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club) Election Day is Every Tuesday (Sway voting group by Ariella Elm) Fullerton Observer’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Fullerton Observer) Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Sierra Club Angeles Chapter) Sierra Club California’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Sierra Club California) Sierra Club San Francisco Bay’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Sierra Club San Francisco Bay) The Overwhelmed San Franciscan’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by The Overwhelmed San Franciscan) UAW California’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by UAW California) UAW’s Endorsements (Sway voting group by UAW) UFCW Western States Council’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by UFCW Western States Council) UNITE HERE Local 11’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by UNITE HERE Local 11) Vote with Lila (Sway voting group by Lila Holzman) iVoterGuide California (Sway voting group by iVoterGuide)

2022

See also: California State Senate elections, 2022 General election General election for California State Senate District 24 Incumbent Ben Allen defeated Kristina Irwin in the general election for California State Senate District 24 on November 8, 2022. Candidate % Votes ✔ Ben Allen (D) 67.1 248,642 Kristina Irwin (R) 32.9 121,809 Incumbents are bolded and underlined . The results have been certified. Source Total votes: 370,451 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. Nonpartisan primary election Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 24 Incumbent Ben Allen and Kristina Irwin defeated Edwin Duterte in the primary for California State Senate District 24 on June 7, 2022. Candidate % Votes ✔ Ben Allen (D) 96.2 165,421 ✔ Kristina Irwin (R) (Write-in) 3.6 6,260 Edwin Duterte (R) (Write-in) 0.1 213 Incumbents are bolded and underlined . The results have been certified. Source Total votes: 171,894 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: California State Senate elections, 2018 General election General election for California State Senate District 26 Incumbent Ben Allen defeated Baron Bruno in the general election for California State Senate District 26 on November 6, 2018. Candidate % Votes ✔ Ben Allen (D) 77.2 298,609 Baron Bruno (Independent) 22.8 87,974 Incumbents are bolded and underlined . The results have been certified. Source Total votes: 386,583 (100.00% precincts reporting) = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. Nonpartisan primary election Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 26 Incumbent Ben Allen and Baron Bruno defeated Mark Matthew Herd in the primary for California State Senate District 26 on June 5, 2018. Candidate % Votes ✔ Ben Allen (D) 76.8 144,283 ✔ Baron Bruno (Independent) 12.3 23,119 Mark Matthew Herd (L) 10.9 20,534 Incumbents are bolded and underlined . The results have been certified. Total votes: 187,936 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: California State Senate elections, 2014 Elections for the California State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014 . The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Ben Allen (D) and Sandra Fluke (D) defeated Barbi S. Appelquist (D), Betsy Butler (D), Amy Howorth (D), Vito Imbasciani (D), Patric M. Verrone (D) and Seth Stodder (I) in the blanket primary. Allen defeated Fluke in the general election. [20] [21] [22] California State Senate, District 26, General Election, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes Democratic Ben Allen 60.3% 122,901 Democratic Sandra Fluke 39.7% 80,781 Total Votes 203,682 California State Senate, District 26 Blanket Primary, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes Democratic Ben Allen 22.2% 25,987 Democratic Sandra Fluke 19.4% 22,759 Independent Seth Stodder 17.4% 20,419 Democratic Betsy Butler 16.5% 19,301 Democratic Amy Howorth 15.7% 18,411 Democratic Vito Imbasciani 4.4% 5,189 Democratic Patric M. Verrone 2.9% 3,446 Democratic Barbi S. Appelquist 1.4% 1,630 Total Votes 117,142

Issue positions (campaign themes)

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses See also: Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Ben Allen completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Allen’s responses. Expand all | Collapse all Who are you? Tell us about yourself. I’m a California State Senator representing Los Angeles, and I’ve spent my career taking on tough issues and delivering results for working people. I’ve chaired key committees on energy, environment, and budget, and helped pass major laws to tackle climate change, protect consumers, and strengthen our economy. My run for Insurance Commissioner is personal. When wildfire hit my community, I saw firsthand the devastation it causes and the long road families face trying to recover. I’ve worked with thousands of Californians navigating the claims process and rebuilding their lives. That experience drives my commitment to hold insurance companies accountable, expand coverage, and make our communities safer and more resilient. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Right now, too many Californians are getting dropped from their insurance or seeing their rates go through the roof. I’ve seen it up close working with families after wildfire, trying to rebuild and just get their claims paid. As Insurance Commissioner, my first job is to make sure people can actually get and keep coverage. Insurance companies can succeed here, but they have to be there for Californians. That means writing policies and paying claims fairly. We need a system that works in real life for working people, not just on paper. When something goes wrong, insurance is supposed to have your back. Too often, people are left dealing with delays, confusion, or being told no when they need help the most. I’ve worked with thousands of Californians through that process, and it shouldn’t be this hard. As Commissioner, I’m going to focus on making the system simpler, more transparent, and more accountable so people are treated fairly and know what to expect. We also have to get ahead of this by reducing risk, so insurance is more available and more affordable. I’ve worked on policies to help people harden their homes and make communities safer from wildfire. That work needs to connect to insurance, so if you do the right things, it actually makes a difference in what you pay and whether you can get coverage. I’ve taken on tough issues before and worked with all sides to get results, and I’ll bring that same approach to fixing this. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I’m passionate about tackling climate change, especially because of what it means for my kids and the kind of future they’re going to inherit. In California, we’re already seeing the impacts through more intense wildfires and growing challenges with insurance and affordability. That’s why I’ve spent years working on climate and wildfire policy, and why I believe we need to connect those efforts directly to making communities safer and more resilient. If we reduce risk, we can help bring down costs and make insurance more available. At the end of the day, this is about protecting families today and making sure the next generation has a place they can afford to call home. What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign? I’m proud to have earned support from a broad coalition of leaders who understand the challenges facing California. That includes U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, as well as legislative leaders, local officials, firefighters, educators, and labor organizations across the state. Groups like the California Professional Firefighters, California Federation of Teachers, Sierra Club, and California Environmental Voters are backing our campaign along with many consumer advocacy organizations because they know we need real solutions to stabilize the insurance market, protect consumers, and help communities recover and rebuild after disasters. Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate’s campaign requests it. Campaign website Allen’s campaign website stated the following: BEN ALLEN’S PLAN TO Strengthen California’s Insurance Market California’s insurance crisis threatens the financial security of millions of families across our state. As wildfires and climate disasters intensify, insurers are pulling out of communities and leaving homeowners stranded on the overburdened FAIR Plan — driving up costs for everyone. I wrote Proposition 4 to begin addressing this emergency, but we need comprehensive reform led by the Insurance Commissioner that balances consumer protection with market stability, modernizes our outdated systems, and invests in community-scale solutions that reduce risk and bring insurers back. My plan will restore a competitive insurance market, ensure Californians are treated fairly after disasters, and build resilient communities that can withstand the climate challenges ahead. Stabilizing the Insurance Market Post-Disaster Insurer Compliance Making the Department More Transparent and Accountable Getting People Off the FAIR Plan Stabilizing the Insurance Market California’s insurance system is at a crossroads. To restore a solvent, competitive marketplace while keeping rates fair and affordable, we must strike the right balance between protecting consumers and ensuring insurers can sustainably operate in the state. I wrote Proposition 4 , the clean drinking water and fire prevention bond measure that voters overwhelmingly passed in 2024, to address the ever-increasing risk of climate-related dis

2022

Ben Allen did not complete Ballotpedia’s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Allen’s website highlighted the following campaign themes: [23] Excerpt: “As a State Senator, Ben will focus on: Creating jobs and opportunities for all residents; Developing a long-term plan to get the state budget in line; Challenging the culture of corruption in Sacramento and protecting taxpayers; Fixing our troubled schools; Making higher education more affordable; and Most importantly, making sure that all of our communities, every zip code, every ethnic group, women and men are represented in our State Capitol.”

Committee assignments

Committee assignments

2025-2026 Allen was assigned to the following committees: Arts Committee , Chair Legislative Budget Committee Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee Senate Judiciary Committee Natural Resources and Water Committee Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee Emergency Management Committee 2023-2024 Allen was assigned to the following committees: Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee Environmental Quality Committee , Chair Senate Judiciary Committee Natural Resources and Water Committee Senate Transportation Committee Arts Committee , Vice Chair Climate Change Policies Committee 2021-2022 Allen was assigned to the following committees: Natural Resources and Water Committee Senate Transportation Committee Arts Committee , Chair Climate Change Policies Committee Environmental Quality Committee , Chair Senate Governmental Organization Committee 2019-2020 Allen was assigned to the following committees: Arts Committee , Chair Environmental Quality Committee , Chair Senate Governmental Organization Committee Natural Resources and Water Committee

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees: California committee assignments, 2017 • Education , Chair • Elections and Constitutional Amendments • Natural Resources and Water • Transportation and Housing • Arts , Chair

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Allen served on the following committees: California committee assignments, 2015 • Budget and Fiscal Review • Elections and Constitutional Amendments , Chair • Natural Resources and Water • Transportation and Housing • Veterans Affairs

Enrichment source: Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Ben_Allen

Sources

• CalMatters 2026 Voter Guide
• Ballotpedia (enrichment, when available)