Minnesota is in rare territory for farm policy. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Angie Craig are both serving as the lead Democrats on the agriculture committee in their respective chamber. This scenario is ranked as RRFN’s #7 story of the past year. Klobuchar succeeds Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow who chose not to run for reelection. Craig took a more unusual route. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott, 79, faced health issues and was criticized for his ineffectiveness in farm policy battles. Craig and California Congressman Jim Costa challenged Scott for the job. Scott and Costa are both more senior members of the committee, but Craig came out on top in a vote of her colleagues. When announcing her intention to seek the leadership role, Craig said she worried too many rural Americans don’t believe Democrats have their best interests at heart. “It’s my mission to work with you to help change their minds.”
