Last week, the Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB), through their Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends (VOTE FBF) political action committee, endorsed Representative Sharice Davids for the Kansas Third Congressional District, recognizing her as a candidate who “understands agriculture and advocates on its behalf.” 

As a member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Davids has consistently engaged with farmers, ranchers, and producers throughout the Kansas Third, listening to their priorities and championing their interests in Washington, particularly during this year’s Farm Bill reauthorization process.

The KFB VOTE FBF endorsement of Davids made headlines across Kansas:

Kansas City Star: “Democrat Sharice Davids wins Kansas Farm Bureau PAC endorsement, a first for KC-area rep”
“Rep. Sharice Davids has won the endorsement of the Kansas Farm Bureau’s political arm, with the state’s most influential agricultural group coming to view the Kansas City-area Democrat as a reliable ally as Congress struggles to pass a farm bill.
 
[…]
 
While the core of Davids’ district is centered on highly-populated suburban Johnson County, state Republican lawmakers redrew its boundaries in 2022 to include more rural areas southwest of the Kansas City metro area. In turn, Davids secured a position on the House Agriculture Committee.
 
Davids’ position on the committee has given Kansas additional influence as Congress develops the next farm bill – a package of agricultural and food assistance policy approved by Congress every few years. The most recent legislation, from 2018, will expire at the end of September after a previous extension.

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‘Rep. Davids has worked to build relationships with our members across the 3rd District,’ Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland said in a statement.
 
‘From water conservation to her service on the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Davids has sought the input of farmers and ranchers as part of her decision-making process,’ Newland said. ‘I’m confident she’s the right choice for agriculture and look forward to her re-election.’
 
Davids in a statement said she was humbled to receive the endorsement and that she would continue working to support “our agricultural economy and the hardworking families who make it thrive.”
 
[…]
 
Davids said in May she was committed to upholding the Kansas tradition of bipartisan agricultural policy.
 
‘To truly support Kansas’ agricultural economy, we must put Kansans first, stop playing political games, and promote a broadly bipartisan Farm Bill that can realistically make it across the finish line,’ Davids said in May. ‘There are many provisions in this bill we all agree on, which is why I remain optimistic.’
 
[…]
 
Davids has also cultivated a relationship with former Sen. Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican long associated with the farm bill process who left the Senate in early 2021. In March she participated in a farm bill-focused event in Johnson County with Roberts, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and others.
 
She has also held a farm bill listening tour within the 3rd District, which extends from southern Wyandotte County south and west past Garnett.”

Kansas Reflector: “Kansas Farm Bureau’s PAC endorses Democrat in 3rd District congressional campaign”
“The Kansas Farm Bureau’s political action committee for the first time has endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids for reelection in the 3rd District of northeast Kansas.

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She joined the House Agriculture Committee in 2022 after the Kansas Legislature expanded the 3rd District’s boundary beyond Johnson and Wyandotte counties to include all of Anderson, Franklin and Miami counties. Those three counties have a larger agricultural economic footprint.

On Thursday, Farm Bureau president Joe Newland said Davids had dedicated herself to building relationships with agriculture interests in the congressional district. This is the first time the Farm Bureau PAC has endorsed her.

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The Farm Bureau’s PAC is known as VOTE FBF or Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends. Since inception of the PAC in 1993, endorsed candidates have prevailed in 90% of their elections.

‘Kansas farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our state, and I’m committed to ensuring their voices are heard in Washington,’ Davids said. ‘I’ll continue working to support our agricultural economy and the hardworking families who make it thrive.’

In the spring, Davids joined with former U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, to host U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small for discussion of challenges facing Kansas’ crop and animal producers. Roberts and Davids said during the event that Congress should overcome partisan disputes to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill reauthorizing federal financial programs for U.S. agriculture.”

Kansas Ag Connection: “Kansas Farm Bureau endorses Davids for first time”
“For the first time, the Kansas Farm Bureau’s political action committee (PAC) has endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in her bid for reelection to represent the 3rd District of northeast Kansas. 

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The PAC, known as VOTE FBF (Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends), typically supports candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to agriculture. Farm Bureau president Joe Newland expressed confidence in Davids, citing her effort to build strong relationships with farmers and ranchers in the newly expanded 3rd District, which now includes Anderson, Franklin, and Miami counties — areas with significant agricultural activity.

‘Rep. Davids has sought the input of farmers and ranchers as part of her decision-making process. I’m confident she’s the right choice for agriculture and look forward to her reelection,’ said Newland.

Davids, who joined the House Agriculture Committee in 2022, expressed her commitment to representing the voices of Kansas farmers in Washington. ‘Kansas farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our state, and I’m committed to ensuring their voices are heard in Washington,’ she said.”