Michigan Farm Bureau’s AgriPac announced Tuesday 26 candidates joining the organization’s Friend of Agriculture roster ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. This is in addition to the 83 candidates the organization endorsed in the primary election, who were successful.
2022 AgriPac Friends of Agriculture
The news comes on the heels of MFB’s endorsement of Tudor Dixon for governor, and expands the list of farm-friendly candidates to include recommendations for attorney general, secretary of state, state supreme court and MSU board of trustees.
AgriPac chair and Washtenaw County farmer Mike Fusilier touted the organization’s grassroots candidate evaluation process as “second to none,” and he thanked the county Farm Bureaus for their hard work interviewing candidates throughout the summer, but also urged them to continue investing time to help candidates who appreciate and respect agriculture.
“Talk to your neighbors, talk to your friends about getting out the vote for Friends of Agriculture,” Fusilier said. “And put signs out on your property — that’s one thing Farm Bureau members have most other organizations don’t, is land frontage on roads.
“If people can contribute (financially) to Friends of Agriculture that would be a great thing too; a few have asked for contributions because they’re lacking funds.”
Newly endorsed candidates
Attorney General: Matt DePerno (R)
Secretary of State: Jocelyn Benson (D)
Supreme Court: Brian Zahra (incumbent) and Paul Hudson
MSU Board of Trustees: Dr. Travis Menge (R) and Mike Balow (R)
U.S. House of Representatives: Dist. 3 – John Gibbs (R), Dist. 7 – Tom Barrett (R)
State Senate: Dist. 17 – Jonathan Lindsey (R), Dist. 35 – Annette Glenn (R), Dist. 37 – John Damoose (R)
State House: Dist. 38 – Kevin Whiteford (R), Dist. 39 – Pauline Wendzel (R), Dist. 48 – Jason Woolford (R), Dist. 57 – Thomas Kuhn (R), Dist. 71 – Brian BeGole (R), Dist. 78 – Gina Johnsen (R), Dist. 79 – Angela Rigas (R), Dist. 80 – Jeffrey Johnson (R), Dist. 83 – Lisa DeKryger (R), Dist. 84 – Mike Milanowski Jr. (R), Dist. 98 – Gregory Alexander (R), Dist. 99 – Mike Hoadley (R), Dist. 101 – Joseph Fox (R), Dist. 106 – Cam Cavitt (R), Dist. 107 – Neil Friske (R), Dist. 108 – Dave Prestin (R)
New districts, candidates and polling locations
With legislative districts being redrawn, MFB Government Relations Specialist Matt Kapp also encourages voters to review their general election ballot by using MFB’s easy-to-use candidate locator.
“It’s important to review offices up for election and the candidates’ names, in case you need to do research before casting your vote,” Kapp said. “We also hope you take time to cross-reference your ballot with the AgriPac-endorsed Friends of Agriculture, who have been vetted by county Farm Bureaus across the state.”
He added that redistricting can also cause polling locations to change. You can double check the location by referencing your voter information card mailed by your clerk’s office, or by visiting the Michigan Voter Information Center provided by the Secretary of State’s office.