Home Insurance Is Becoming an Election Issue. Are Candidates Listening? | Insurify

Rising home insurance costs are a top affordability concern for voters heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Some polls show voters are now more worried about their insurance bills than their taxes.

Home insurance premiums have increased 49% in the past five years, including 12% in 2025, according to an Insurify report.

Sixty-five percent of likely voters consider homeowners insurance costs important to their ability to buy a home or afford the one they already own, according to an Oct. 8 national survey by For Progress and the Insurance Fairness Project. Nearly half reported paying more for home or renters insurance over the past year.

The new findings show that what used to be a behind-the-scenes issue for insurance insiders is now front and center for politicians.

Politicians can promise quick fixes, but solving the insurance challenge could be trickier.

Homeowners are losing patience

The survey, which polled 1,444 likely voters Sept. 15–21, found that 19% of current or former home and renters insurance policyholders said coverage had become too expensive to keep.

Among all respondents, only 24% felt fully informed about how much their premiums might increase when their policies renew.

When asked what was driving higher insurance costs, 28% blamed inflation, while 20% blamed insurance companies raising rates to increase profits.

The survey also found widespread support for holding insurers more accountable. In one question, asked of half the respondents, 84% supported allowing policyholders to sue insurers that deny, delay, or underpay legitimate claims.

The Insurance Fairness Project, which conducted the poll, is an advocacy organization focused on insurance affordability and corporate accountability.

The findings in the poll are similar to those from previous studies.

A March 2025 national survey conducted by the same organization found that 78% of likely voters were concerned about rising property insurance prices. More than half believed their state governments weren't doing enough to protect consumers.

In Florida, insurance worries overshadow taxes

Florida is ground zero for the insurance debate. Lawmakers there have spent years trying to stabilize a property insurance market rocked by hurricanes, lawsuits, and insurers fleeing the state.

A University of North Florida poll released Sept. 28 found that 63% of insured Florida homeowners were more concerned about property insurance costs than property taxes.

That's a big shift for Florida, where property-tax relief used to dominate the political stage.

The survey also found that 81% believed the state's insurance market was either getting worse or not improving. And 69% believed insurers, not homeowners or trial lawyers, benefited most from recent insurance reforms.

These numbers are a reality check for officials who've been touting recent improvements in the insurance market.

Florida's insurance market has stabilized, with private insurers taking on policies previously held by Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state's insurer of last resort. Some insurers have filed for rate reductions.

Hurricanes remain the wild card

Hurricane Isaias, which struck the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 9, will likely cause losses "in the low single-digit range in billions of dollars," according to insurance industry rating agency AM Best. The agency says the losses aren't likely to seriously destabilize the state's insurance market.

But homeowners without flood insurance may also have significant losses that never appear in private insurers' claims totals.

That's encouraging news for Florida's insurance market, but it doesn't necessarily mean homeowners will see lower premiums anytime soon.

California lawmakers take action

In California, lawmakers are responding to another source of homeowner frustration: insurers refusing to renew policies.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill that requires insurers to provide more specific explanations when they decline to renew homeowners coverage. Insurers must also give policyholders a chance to correct certain problems before declining.

The law also lengthens the required non-renewal notice period to 90 days. It restricts insurers from dropping customers solely because they inquired about a claim or filed certain claims that resulted in no payment.

"Californians are facing more expensive and fewer insurance options to keep their families secure right now, exacerbating the wider affordability crunch we're all feeling," state Sen. Ben Allen, the bill's author, said in a press release.

The legislation comes as wildfire danger and insurer withdrawals have pushed more Californians into the state's FAIR Plan, which covers homeowners who can't get insurance through traditional carriers.

These new rules take effect in January 2028, but whether they'll lower premiums or prevent most non-renewals is open for debate.

Lawmakers can't just vote to reduce homeowners insurance rates

Insurance premiums reflect many factors, including disaster risk, construction costs, claims experience, and the price insurers pay for reinsurance. Each state regulates its own insurance industry through an insurance commissioner's office. In 11 states, voters elect an insurance commissioner, and four states have commissioner elections this midterm season: California, Georgia, Kansas, and Oklahoma, according to Insurify.

State regulators can scrutinize rate increases, lawmakers can strengthen consumer protections, and governments can invest in measures to reduce storm and wildfire damage. But none of these steps guarantees consumers will see a lower bill when their policy renews.

That's an important point for consumers. Political promises might mean more transparency, better protections, or a few more choices — but not always a smaller price tag.

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