The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will have a different composition in 2019, as at least two members lost their election battles on November 6.
Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota, and Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, both members of the committee, failed to get re-elected, losing to Republicans Kevin Kramer and Mike Braun, respectively.
Meanwhile, another committee member’s fate remains to be seen. In Mississippi, in a battle to take the seat formerly held by Thad Cochran, who resigned in April due to health reasons, there were two Republicans and two Democrats on the ballot. Incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican who was appointed to succeed Cochran in both the Senate and its ag committee, and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, a Democrat, advanced to a special election on November 27, in which the winner will be decided. Under the terms of that election, had either candidate garnered 50 percent of the vote, that candidate would become the senator. Chris McDaniel, a Republican, served as a spoiler with 16.4 percent of the vote. Hyde-Smith held a 0.8 percent lead over Espy.
Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, the committee’s ranking member, defeated Republican challenger John James by an almost 6 percent margin.
Other Senate ag committee members on the ballot and being named to new terms include: Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; and Robert Casey, R-Pennsylvania.
House ag committee leaders win elections
The two main leaders of the House Agriculture Committee, Chairman Mike Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, were re-elected.
Conaway, R-Texas, cruised to an easy victory by gaining around 80 percent of the vote, while Peterson, D-Minnesota, had a tougher time, defeating Republican challenger Dave Hughes by roughly a 52-48 percent margin.
Senate Chicken Caucus members re-elected
Several members of the Senate Chicken Caucus were up for re-election, and those members were successful in retaining their seats. Re-elected were Tom Carper, D-Delaware; Roger Wicker R-Mississippi; and Casey.
