Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 29: A group of American farmers is helping finance nearly $3 million in political advertising targeting Republican candidates in competitive US midterm election races, highlighting concerns over rising farm costs, trade tariffs and animal welfare standards ahead of the November 3 elections.
The advertisements are being funded by the political action arm of the American Meat Producers Association (AMPA), an organisation established in 2025 that represents farmers who support higher animal welfare standards. The campaign is running in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Iowa, targeting four incumbent Republicans over their support for the proposed Save Our Bacon Act, which seeks to overturn animal welfare laws in California and Massachusetts.
The legislation has divided the US pork industry for years. The state laws require higher welfare standards for farm animals, while supporters of the federal bill argue that overturning them would benefit farmers and the meat industry. AMPA opposes the legislation and has used the candidates' voting records as a central theme of its advertising campaign.
However, the advertisements also address broader economic concerns, including President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods and the rising cost of living. One advertisement targeting Colorado Republican Representative Gabe Evans accuses him of supporting Trump's tariffs and the war in Iran, claiming these policies have contributed to soaring prices. Evans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
AMPA president Holly Bice said farmers and ranchers experienced the effects of government policies across multiple areas, rather than through individual pieces of legislation. She said the advertisements highlighted lawmakers whose voting records had harmed farmers. Bice declined to identify the major donors financing the group's political action committee, saying its supporters included farmers, meat companies and people concerned about family farming.
The organisation has only one employee listed on its website, Bice, and does not publicly disclose its donors or membership list. However, farmers associated with AMPA told Reuters that contributions from farmers were among the sources of funding for the campaign. Russ Kremer, a Missouri hog farmer serving on the organisation's leadership council, said many of the approximately 5,000 farmers involved with AMPA had contributed to its political action committee, but did not provide a specific figure.
Federal election filings show that AMPA had spent approximately $2.9 million on digital and radio advertisements. Of this amount, around $2.5 million was directed towards advertisements opposing Iowa Republican Representative Ashley Hinson in her Senate race. Hinson has sponsored the Save Our Bacon Act and has argued that the legislation would support Iowa's hog farmers.
One advertisement targeting Hinson features a man criticising her record on agricultural issues, saying she does not care about Iowa farmers and would never experience the consequences of her votes. Her campaign communications director, Billy Fuerst, rejected the criticism, saying Iowa farmers strongly supported Hinson because of her work for agriculture. Hinson has received endorsements from the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the state's Farm Bureau chapter.
The campaign comes at a challenging time for American farmers, who have faced record diesel prices, higher fertiliser costs and reduced agricultural exports to China. These pressures have added to concerns about the impact of trade policies and the cost of agricultural production.
Trump has announced plans to provide farmers with $8 billion in diesel assistance. The proposed support would contribute to government payments to farmers reaching a record $55.4 billion this year. However, the funds are expected to arrive only after the November 3 elections.
Despite the economic pressures, many agricultural organisations have continued to support Republican candidates. The political action arm of the Iowa Farm Bureau, affiliated with the national Farm Bureau lobbying organisation, endorsed all Republican candidates for the House of Representatives, Senate and state secretary of agriculture in September.
Iowa has become an important focus of the campaign. Trump won the state by a double-digit margin in the 2024 presidential election, but polling cited by Reuters showed Democrats tied with or ahead of Republicans in several state midterm contests. Republican campaign spending and Trump's appearances in traditionally conservative agricultural states such as Iowa and Kansas have also drawn attention to the party's efforts to retain support in rural areas.
According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, Trump's approval rating among rural Americans fell to 45 per cent in October, its lowest level in the survey. Concerns over tariffs, fuel prices and the economic impact of the war in Iran have contributed to dissatisfaction among some rural voters.
AMPA's campaign, however, is not exclusively directed at helping Democrats. The organisation has also spent $100,000 on advertisements supporting Republican incumbents Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Andrew Garbarino of New York, who have opposed the Save Our Bacon Act.
The campaign illustrates how disputes over agricultural policy and animal welfare have intersected with wider economic concerns during the US midterm election cycle, as competing groups seek to influence voters and lawmakers ahead of the November 3 polls.