Farmers are upset about fuel costs, but some are sticking with Republicans anyway

Soaring diesel prices are squeezing American farmers at harvest time, and many blame the Trump administration, yet that anger does not clearly translate into Democratic votes this November. MS NOW interviewed farmers across the country, and nearly all described rising production costs they attribute to administration policy. Few expected large numbers of their neighbors to switch parties, partly because they see Democrats as weak on rural priorities.

In Dooly County, Georgia, Lee Davis, an independent, says his operation uses 3,000 gallons of diesel weekly and his expenses have climbed 37 percent. He faults Trump over the Iran war but leans toward Republican Rick Jackson for governor and has not settled on a Senate choice, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is courting farm communities. Illinois Democrat John Bartman says his party rarely addresses the inheritance tax or the Waters of the United States rule, while Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has launched a "Farmers First" initiative. Louisiana brothers Willis and Courtney Nelson say farmers distrust both parties and doubt Democrats can motivate turnout.

Still, a KFF/Associated Press poll put rural disapproval of Trump's economic stewardship at 57%.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →