The Kansas Farm Bureau’s political action committee endorsed the reelection of U.S. Rep. Sharice Davies, D-Kansas. It’s the PAC’s first endorsement of the three-term Democrat and sidestepped both the Republican and Libertarian nominees ahead of the November election. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from livestream of Davids’ news conference)
BY: TIM CARPENTER
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The Kansas Farm Bureau’s political action committee for the first time has endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids for reelection in the 3rd District of northeast Kansas.
The organization’s PAC previously committed to Republican incumbent U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann of the 1st District and Ron Estes of the 4th District. In July, the PAC announced support of Derek Schmidt, who in August won the GOP primary in the 2nd District. Schmidt is seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Republican who didn’t seek reelection.
Davids, who is completing her third term in Congress, is running against Republican Prasanth Reddy and Libertarian Steve Roberts in the November election.
She joined the House Agriculture Committee in 2022 after the Kansas Legislature expanded the 3rd District’s boundary beyond Johnson and Wyandotte counties to include all of Anderson, Franklin and Miami counties. Those three counties have a larger agricultural economic footprint.
On Thursday, Farm Bureau president Joe Newland said Davids had dedicated herself to building relationships with agriculture interests in the congressional district. This is the first time the Farm Bureau PAC has endorsed her.
“Rep. Davids has sought the input of farmers and ranchers as part of her decision-making process. I’m confident she’s the right choice for agriculture and look forward to her reelection,” Newland said.
The Farm Bureau’s PAC is known as VOTE FBF or Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends. Since inception of the PAC in 1993, endorsed candidates have prevailed in 90% of their elections.
“Kansas farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our state, and I’m committed to ensuring their voices are heard in Washington,” Davids said. “I’ll continue working to support our agricultural economy and the hardworking families who make it thrive.”
In the spring, Davids joined with former U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, to host U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small for discussion of challenges facing Kansas’ crop and animal producers. Roberts and Davids said during the event that Congress should overcome partisan disputes to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill reauthorizing federal financial programs for U.S. agriculture.
The 2018 law expired in 2023, but was extended for one year to allow for negotiations in the House and Senate. No deal has been reached since September 2023, and the existing law could be renewed for another year given budget disputes and election-year politics.
Reddy, who didn’t respond to a request for comment about the Farm Bureau PAC’s endorsement, said in May that he disagreed with Davids’ vote against a GOP-sponsored version of the Farm Bill that was introduced to the House Agriculture Committee.
“It’s a betrayal of Kansas farmers and ranchers,” Reddy said, “but that’s what you can expect from a professional politician who puts party leaders before common sense.”
Mann, the 1st District representative who also serves on the House Agriculture Committee, voted for the bill rejected by Davids. His represents the third-largest agriculture producing congressional district in the United States.
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Publish date : 2024-09-08 03:00:00
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