Topeka ? Candidates for state insurance commissioner Wednesday traded accusations that they were beholden to their campaign contributors.

Democrat Jim Garner blasted Republican Sandy Praeger for taking more than $25,000 in campaign funds in one day from a Texas insurance company that has a high rate of consumer complaints in Kansas.

“Who is shaking down whom?,” Garner asked at a Capitol news conference as he called on Praeger to return the money.

Praeger issued a campaign statement, accusing Garner of running a negative campaign “bereft of ideas,” and noting that he has received “strong support from trial lawyers and labor unions who have a vested interest in how the department is regulated.”

Praeger, a state senator from Lawrence, and Garner, a state representative from Coffeyville, are vying to lead the Kansas Department of Insurance in the Nov. 5 election. The current commissioner, Democrat Kathleen Sebelius, is running for governor.

One of the main issues in the insurance race, is the effect of donations from insurance interests.