Seven states will elect ag commissioners next year
It’s only May of 2025 but ag commissioner elections for next year are beginning to take shape.
Voters in seven states will elect ag commissioners in 2026, and candidates are already starting to emerge.
In Iowa, for example, a familiar name announced his intention to seek another term as the state’s ag secretary.
On May 20, Mike Naig indicated he will run for a third term as the state’s ag secretary.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Iowa as we work to advance an Iowa First agenda that puts farmers, families, and freedom at the center of our future,” Naig said in a statement, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. “We have made tremendous progress over the past few years, but there remains important work ahead and we’re not done yet — building markets for Iowa products, defending our livestock industry, accelerating soil and water conservation efforts, and making sure rural Iowa thrives for future generations.”
Naig had been considered a potential candidate to run for governor in 2026 after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she won’t seek another term.
In Alabama, two candidates have come forward to run in the Republican primary.
Christina Woerner McInnis, a farmer from Baldwin County, announced her candidacy in March.
Her priorities include expanding market opportunities, advancing innovation, and supporting Alabama’s ports and other ag infrastructure, her website says.
The other Republican hopeful is State Sen. Jack Williams.
His priorities include support for young farmers.
“If you have a bad crop, your insurance is not enough to cover it anymore, and that’s knocking out our young farmers,” he said, AL.com reported in April.
And in Florida, Chase Anderson Romagnano is running as a Democrat to be the state’s commissioner of agriculture, Ballotpedia.org says.