Chess grandmaster running for CA insurance commissioner challenges voters to a game

As a part of his statewide chess tour, Patrick was interviewed in Sacramento by the Sacramento Bee. He answered questions about himself, the race, and how chess fits into it all as he played the ten delegates and chess enthusiasts.

Candidate comment: California is too easy on insurers and strangles competition

With the first anniversary of the devastating Southern California wildfires approaching, CalMatters asked candidates for the 2026 state Insurance Commissioner race to share thoughts on what the state can do to help victims and stabilize insurers. This is the first of several candidate responses.

California’s insurance system is a self-made disaster. It’s time for major reforms

A candidate for state insurance commissioner wants to streamline rate applications, banish price-gouging, and empower policyholders.

What experts are watching in Prop 50 results

Patrick Wolff, the former chess grandmaster running for state insurance commissioner, is challenging people across the state to play games of simultaneous, 10 vs. 1 speed chess against him and posting the results on social media in search of a viral moment.

Patrick Wolff is running for insurance commissioner

Hard times, hard market. That describes California’s insurance crisis in a nutshell. The state’s current insurance commissioner inspires little confidence and is termed out. Can a wealthy underdog from San Francisco get elected to the job? Patrick Wolff is going to find out.

First in Playbook: Creating Airspace

The campaign for Patrick Wolff, a San Francisco financial analyst running for state insurance commissioner, is circulating internal polling indicating a large swath of voters are undecided in the race but are more likely than not to vote for a “political outsider.”

With right leadership, California can solve its insurance crisis

California is facing an insurance crisis. Insurance companies are pulling out, leaving businesses and consumers with too few options or soaring premiums. Many homeowners are turning in desperation to the FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, which is now overwhelmed far beyond its intended capacity.