Ag Policy Blog

Updated at 11.30 a.m. Central.

Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota will take over as ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee in the next Congress.

Craig, 52, won the vote among the House Democratic caucus on Tuesday in a 121-91 vote over Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., multiple reporters on Capitol Hill posted on social media.

Craig had won a key vote on Monday by members of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to replace Rep. David Scott, 79, of Georgia as the top Democrat on the Ag Committee. Scott had fought to keep his seat, but he was considered as having health conditions and not able to effectively operate as the top member of the committee any longer.

The vote for Craig by the steering committee reflects a small shift by Democrats against using seniority as a main driver for leading committees in the next Congress. The House Agriculture Committee is not the only committee where less-experienced members have challenged older lawmakers for top posts after the November election, though few of those senior lawmakers have actually lost their seats so far.

Craig won her fourth term in Congress in November. In a statement Tuesday, she noted she is the granddaughter of an Arkansas farm foreman and grew up relying on nutrition assistance as well -- "someone who knows firsthand how critical good ag policy is," she stated.

"I just won my D+1 district by nearly 14 points because my farmers and rural constituents know that I'll meet them where they're at, I'll listen to their concerns and I'll work with however I can to improve their lives."

Craig's statement also highlighted finding compromise with Republicans in certain areas but also "fighting for our values where we must."

She added, "My focus will be on improving people's lives -- not scoring political points. We can lower food and energy costs for consumers. We can strengthen the farm safety net and open the doors of opportunity to new and beginning farmers. And we can ensure that nutrition assistance programs are available to the Americans who need them."

Scott became chairman of the committee in 2021-22 before Republicans took control of the House. Though he was the first Black chairman of the committee, Scott also skipping a session last week with members of the Congressional Black Caucus about committee leadership posts.

Minnesota will have a lot of influence on the Democratic side when it comes to agricultural issues. Along with Craig in the House, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is expected to serve as ranking members of the Senate Agriculture Committee in the next Congress.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN

(c) Copyright 2024 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.