Indiana Farm Bureau makes dozens of congressional, Statehouse endorsements

(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — The Indiana Farm Bureau and its federal ELECT and state-level AgELECT political action committees (PACs) this month endorsed a combined 55 candidates for the November general election.

The nods include both major parties — the PACs are nonpartisan — with 43 Republican candidates and 12 Democrats earning endorsements.

But the PACs skipped races in which members saw no agriculture champions. One of those was Indiana’s Third Congressional District in, which a longtime farmer is the GOP nominee.

“This election is going to be extremely important for agriculture. Indiana Farm Bureau endorsements are taken very seriously as a part of the organization’s grassroots advocacy effort,” Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron said in a news release.

“The goal of our PACs is to back candidates who are willing to listen and engage in issues impacting agriculture,” he continued. “We rely on public officials who will advocate on behalf of Hoosier agriculture and serve as our voice at the Statehouse and in Washington, D.C.”

The news release said the Indiana Farm Bureau picks who to endorse through a “robust grassroots process” led by county-level Hoosier leaders. They conduct candidate interviews and make their recommendations to the organization’s oversight committee and its board of directors.

In the U.S. House, that meant endorsements of Rep. Frank Mrvan, a Democrat, and a slate of Republican incumbents and nominees.

But the ELECT PAC chose not to involve itself in northeast Indiana’s Third District, which Rep. Jim Banks left open by running for U.S. Senate. Republican nominee Marlin Stutzman — who occupied the seat from 2010 to 2017 — will face Democrat Kiley Adolph and Libertarian Jarrad Lancaster.

Stutzman is a fourth-generation farmer from Howe, Indiana, per his campaign website. He has been involved in farming operations growing crops like corn, green beans and soybeans, and raising beef cattle.

He’s run on that agricultural experience before, including in a “We need a farmer” advertisement for his unsuccessful 2016 U.S. Senate run.

His campaign didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Indiana Farm Bureau spokeswoman Heidi Grant said the group’s members decided “not to engage in that race.”

“They didn’t feel like there was a candidate on that ballot who aligned best with our priorities,” she said.

The PAC also didn’t make an endorsement in Congressional District 7, in which 16-year incumbent André Carson, a Democrat, will attempt to fend off Republican John Schmitz and Libertarian Rusty Johnson.

Meanwhile, 125 seats at the Statehouse are up for election. The AgELECT PAC made nearly 50 endorsements, mostly of incumbents.

One was Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville. He said he was “grateful” for the group’s endorsement.

“As the owner and operator of a small family farm, and the representative of a largely rural district, I know how essential farmers are to Indiana’s economy,” Bray said in the news release. “Agriculture is a large part of who we all are as Hoosiers, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with Indiana Farm Bureau in my next term should I be elected.”

Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis; House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers and House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, also got nods.

The group additionally endorsed candidates in several races left open by retiring incumbents:

• Senate District 24: Republican Brett Clark, who faces Democrat Veronica Pejril. The district includes parts of Hendricks and Putnam counties.
• House District 24: Republican Hunter Smith, who faces Democrat Josh Lowry. The district includes parts of Boone and Hamilton counties.
• House District 39: Republican Danny Lopez, who faces Democrat Matt McNally. The district covers part of Hamilton County.
• House District 51: Republican Tony Isa, who faces Democrat Judy Rowe. The district includes most of LaGrange and Steuben counties.
• House District 53: Republican Ethan Lawson, who faces Democrat Nate Anderson. The district includes parts of Hancock and Madison counties.
• House District 77: Democrat Alex Burton, who is running unopposed. Democrat incumbent. The district includes parts of Posey and Vanderburgh counties.

Editor Niki Kelly contributed reporting.