Ralph Hudgens

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Ralph Hudgens

|office = Insurance Commissioner of Georgia

|governor = Nathan Deal

|term_start = January 10, 2011

|term_end = January 14, 2019

|predecessor = John Oxendine

|successor = Jim Beck

|state_senate1 = Georgia

|district1 = 47th

|term_start1 = January 2003

|term_end1 = January 2011

|predecessor1 = Mike Beatty{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=7156|title = Our Campaigns - GA State Senate 47 Race - Nov 05, 2002}}

|successor1 = Frank Ginn{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=468022|title = Our Campaigns - GA State Senate 047 Race - Nov 04, 2008}}

|state_house2 = Georgia

|district2 = 24th

|term_start2 = January 1997

|term_end2 = January 2003

|predecessor2 = John Scoggins{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=286597|title = Our Campaigns - GA State House 024 Race - Nov 05, 1996}}

|successor2 = Warren Massey{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=287754|title = Our Campaigns - GA State House 024 Race - Nov 07, 2000}}

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|11|21}}

|birth_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Republican

|spouse = Suzanne Hudgens

|education = University of Florida {{small|(BS)}}

}}

Ralph Hudgens (born November 21, 1942) was the Commissioner of Insurance of the state of Georgia from January 10, 2011, to January 14, 2019. Hudgens served in the Georgia House of Representatives as well as the Georgia Senate. He has been a delegate to numerous Republican Party events. Hudgens defeated his Democratic opponent in the 2010 election with 53.8% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2014. He announced on July 17, 2017, that he would not run for re-election in 2018. Hudgens believed insurance rates should be allowed to increase based on competition and not regulation as did former regulatory favorable Commissioner John Oxendine. During Hudgens's time in office Georgia auto insurance rates greatly increased including one year Georgia experienced the highest increase in the United States.{{cite web |title=Lawmakers Report Increase In Georgia Auto Insurance Rates in 2015 |url=https://www.kaufmanlawfirm.com/lawmakers-report-increase-in-georgia-auto-insurance-rates-in-2015/ |website=kaufmanlawfirm.com |publisher=Kaufman Law P.C. |accessdate=22 August 2019 |archive-date=22 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822031628/https://www.kaufmanlawfirm.com/lawmakers-report-increase-in-georgia-auto-insurance-rates-in-2015/ |url-status=dead }} Hudgens and his wife, Suzanne, have four children and twelve grandchildren.http://www.ralphhudgens.com/about

Views on Obamacare

With regard to Obamacare, as the Georgia Insurance Commissioner, Hudgens has opposed the implementation of Affordable Care Act and vowed to be an "obstructionist" while speaking to a group of Republicans at the Tillman Hanger Rally in Floyd County, Georgia.{{cite news|title=Ga. insurance chief brags about sabotage of ObamaCare|url=http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/jay-bookman/2013/aug/29/ga-insurance-chief-brags-about-sabotage-obamacare/|accessdate=11 December 2013|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=29 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829173941/http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/jay-bookman/2013/aug/29/ga-insurance-chief-brags-about-sabotage-obamacare/ |archive-date=2013-08-29}} However, Hudgens later admitted "I spoke to a Republican group in Rome, Ga., and I said I was going to be an obstructionist, but I can’t be. I mean, I was talking to a Republican group and I was throwing them some red meat."{{cite news|title=Ralph Hudgens: No longer an Obamacare 'obstructionist'|url=http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/08/21/ralph-hudgens-i-cant-be-an-obamacare-obstructionist/|accessdate=28 August 2014|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=28 August 2014|archive-date=25 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825153502/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/08/21/ralph-hudgens-i-cant-be-an-obamacare-obstructionist/|url-status=dead}}

At the CSRA Republican Women's Club meeting, he criticized the Affordable Care Act by likening the patients with preexisting condition to a car driver that has gotten in an accident and seeks car insurance post incident.{{cite news|title=Another Georgia Republican Forgot The Camera Was Rolling, Accidentally Spoke His Mind|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/ralph-hudgens-pre-existing-conditions_n_4388506.html|accessdate=11 December 2013|work=Huffington Post|date=5 December 2013}} He has since retracted his remarks and stated, "I've had family members, I've had friends - who have pre-existing conditions. It's not the person's fault they have a pre-existing condition."{{cite news|title=Hudgens walks back remarks about chronically ill people|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/news/hudgens-walks-back-remarks-about-chronically-ill-p/ncBwS/|accessdate=11 December 2013|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=4 December 2013}}

Recent controversy

At a Georgia Republican public event in August 2014, Hudgens was speaking and happened to notice a journalist, Nydia Tisdale, videotaping the event, which caused him to direct a comment at her, publicly stating "I don't know why you're videotaping". This led to some apparent discomfort, in spite of her already having had approval to record the public event. Subsequently, the police arrested Tisdale, with accusations currently being leveled both at the police as well as at Tisdale. At this time, the dispute has not been settled but video has surfaced of the event.{{cite news|title=VIDEO: Journalist Roughed Up And Removed From Georgia GOP Event|url=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/nydia-tisdale-dawson-county-sheriff-burts-farm|accessdate= 2 September 2014|work=Talking Points Memo|date=2 September 2014}}

Electoral history

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia House of Representatives 24th District Election, 1996

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens

|6,496

|50.3

Democratic

|John Scoggins

|6,425

|49.7

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia House of Representatives 24th District Election, 1998

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens (inc.)

|5,606

|100.0

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia House of Representatives 24th District Election, 2000

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens (inc.)

|6,926

|52.4

Democratic

|Douglas McKillip

|6,291

|47.6

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia State Senate 47th District Election, 2002

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens

|17,889

|51.8

Democratic

|Bob Banks

|16,619

|48.2

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia State Senate 47th District Election, 2004

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens (inc.)

|40,504

|71.1

Democratic

|Bill Healan

|16,441

|28.9

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia State Senate 47th District Election, 2006

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens (inc.)

|24,927

|64.9

Democratic

|Marc Rawson

|13,501

|35.1

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia State Senate 47th District Election, 2008

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens (inc.)

|46,257

|64.8

Democratic

|Tim Riley

|25,172

|35.2

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia Insurance Commissioner Republican Primary Election, 2010

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens

|117,462

|20.7

Republican

|Maria Sheffield

|111,302

|19.6

Republican

|Tom Knox

|91,930

|16.2

Republican

|Gerry Purcell

|72,158

|12.7

Republican

|Dennis Cain

|53,797

|9.5

Republican

|Seth Harp

|48,265

|8.5

Republican

|Rick Collum

|29,536

|5.2

Republican

|John Mamalakis

|21,513

|3.8

Republican

|Stephen Northington

|21,196

|3.7

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia Insurance Commissioner Republican Primary Runoff Election, 2010

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens

|284,447

|55.2

Republican

|Maria Sheffield

|230,453

|44.8

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia Insurance Commissioner Election, 2010

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens

|1,368,289

|53.8

Democratic

|Mary Squires

|1,079,716

|42.4

Libertarian

|Shane Bruce

|96,549

|3.8

class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |Georgia Insurance Commissioner Election, 2014

Party

|Candidate

|Votes

Republican

|Ralph Hudgens (inc.)

|1,382,551

|54.87

Democratic

|Elizabeth "Liz" Johnson

|1,050,883

|41.70

Libertarian

|Edward "Ted" Metz

|86,427

|3.43

References

=Sources=

https://web.archive.org/web/20101128141802/http://ralphhudgens.com/about_ralph
http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2010_1102/00250.htm

{{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Insurance Commissioner of Georgia|years=2010, 2014}}

{{s-ttl|title=Insurance Commissioner of Georgia|years=2011–2019}}

Category:1942 births

Category:Republican Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators

Category:Living people

Category:Republican Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives

Category:Politicians from Miami

Category:Southern Baptists

Category:State insurance commissioners of the United States

Category:University of Florida alumni

Category:21st-century members of the Georgia General Assembly