Trump heads to Kansas amid concerns over a costly harvest season

President Donald Trump is visiting Kansas on Monday and Iowa on Thursday as Republicans worry that farm-state voters, squeezed by higher costs, may stay home in the midterm elections. Party money is flowing into Senate races in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, all places Trump carried in 2024, according to The Independent.

Diesel is the sharpest pain point. AAA put the national average at $6. 30 per gallon on Friday, over 70% above a year earlier, just as harvest demands the most fuel. The U. S. Department of Agriculture's September forecast sees net farm income falling 2. 6% while expenses climb 4. 5%, with fuel and oil costs up nearly 30%. Kansas Farm Bureau president Glenn Brunkow says the pressure comes from every side and expects it to dampen turnout more than it changes votes. The administration has responded with a December aid package of $12 billion and an executive order loosening limits on tax-free red-dyed diesel.

In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, and Democrats have not won the seat in 94 years. Former state House majority leader Don Hineman cites tariffs, the Iran war and immigration raids that detained more than 100 people.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →