Farm-State Victories Help Republicans Win Senate Control

Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno defeated Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy beat Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, the only working farmer in the Senate, in Montana as Republicans won a Senate majority in Tuesday’s elections, boosted by farm-state victories. In Nebraska, Republican Sen. Deb Fischer won her third term over an unexpectedly strong challenger.

With Sheehy’s victory, Republicans were assured of at least 52 seats in the Senate. At present, Democrats have a 51-49 majority. Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a stalwart defender of SNAP in farm bill discussions, will retire at the end of the year. Arkansas Sen. John Boozman could become chairman when Republicans take control in January.

Boozman and House Agriculture chairman Glenn Thompson want to increase crop subsidy spending and pare SNAP outlays in the new farm bill under the slogan of putting more farm in the farm bill. Thompson was among Republicans who have urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to call a floor vote on the farm bill in the lame duck session that convenes next week. Thompson coasted to re-election in his Pennsylvania district on Tuesday.

If there is no agreement soon on the farm bill, lawmakers would have to start from scratch in the new session of Congress in January.

The GOP-controlled House Agriculture Committee approved Thompson’s version of the farm bill in May, 33-21, with four Democrats supporting the bill. Two of them, Reps. Sanford Bishop of Georgia and Eric Sorensen of Illinois, were re-elected. The other two, Reps. Don Davis of North Carolina and Yadira Caraveo, were leading in their races early on Wednesday.

Moreno took 50% of the vote and Brown 46% in the nation’s most expensive Senate race in Ohio. Sheehy, founder of an aerial firefighting company, won with 53% of the vote over Tester’s 45% in Montana. Fisher defeated Dan Osborn, an independent with a populist platform, in Nebraska, 54-46. Brown and Fischer are members of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Five of the 13 members of the House Agriculture Committee — a quarter of its membership — won re-election in spotlight races that were expected to help determine control of the House. They were Republicans Zach Nunn of Iowa and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Democrats Sorensen, Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, and Angie Craig of Minnesota.

As of Wednesday morning, Republicans had won 204 seats and Democrats 182 seats for the new session in the 435-member House. Republicans have a 220-212 majority in the current session.

Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, was elected governor of Indiana in Tuesday’s elections. Rep. Jim Banks easily won election as Braun’s successor in the Senate.