One wants to be a governor and the other has entered a U.S. Senate race
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Two U.S. state ag commissioners are entering political races with higher profiles than their current portfolios.
In Georgia, current Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black has entered the U.S. Senate race against Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock.
Black fist became the state ag commissioner in 2010 and won re-election in 2014 and 2018.
He plans to draw on his tenure to build a successful campaign against Warnock.
“I’ve got the leadership experience, the track record, and the background handling a wide range of duties to be a United States Senator,” Black told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The people of Georgia have been kind enough to hire me before, and I believe they’ll hire me again for a different job.”
Black is entering the Senate race because President Biden and his administration aren’t properly serving the American people.
This includes national and domestic issues.
“They’re five months into (Biden’s presidency) and job growth and opportunity are down, inflation, debt and gas prices are up, the Middle East is back at war,” he said in a statement, WXIA-TV reported.
Nikki Fried has entered Florida's 2022 gubernatorial race and Gary Black has entered the U.S. Senate race.
With Black focusing on his Senate aspirations, it’s likely Georgia will have a new commissioner of agriculture in the future.
Florida’s agriculture commissioner is making a political move too.
Nikki Fried, Florida’s only elected Democrat, has entered the state’s 2022 gubernatorial race against Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“At every turn I’ve seen a system that was rigged and works against the people,” she said, Politico reported. “It’s time to break that system. After two decades of Republican governors it’s time to try something new.”
If Fried wins she will be Florida’s first female governor and the first Democratic governor since Buddy MacKay took over in December 1998 after Governor Lawton Chiles passed away while in office.