In Other Election News for Ag …

Agriculture committees in both the the U.S. Senate and House are headed for change based on last week’s election results.

In the Senate, Ag Chair Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) chose not to seek re-election, opting instead to retire.

Republican Congressman Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) was elected to fill the open Senate seat and will likely request to be assigned to the Ag Committee. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) is the favorite to replace Roberts as chairman if Republicans remain in the majority.

All members of the Senate Agriculture Committee up for re-election this
cycle were re-elected with one exception. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), is headed to a Jan. 5 runoff with Democrat Raphael Warnock because neither candidate received the required 50 percent majority required in Georgia.

On the House Ag Committee, Reps. Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.), Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) lost to Republican challengers. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) trails in his race, where a judge has put a temporary hold on the counting of ballots, and TJ Cox (D-Calif.) trails by about 4,500 with only 70 percent of the vote reported nearly a week after the polls closed.

Every Republican member of the House Ag Committee was re-elected or their seats were retained by Republicans.