“Our elected officials are tasked with representing the people, but this memo is evidence that the people are not Secretary Naig’s top priority at Iowa’s Department of Agriculture. Iowa farmers have never needed a fighter more. They don’t need yet another politician selling them down the river for campaign cash,” said Iowa Democratic Party Spokesperson Tess Seger.
Excerpts from the article below:
IOWA STARTING LINE: Memo Details Iowa Farm Bureau’s Plan to Buy Sec of Ag Race
“In the memo from Don Petersen, the Farm Bureau’s Director of Government Relations, the organization describes how “a one-time investment of corporate funds for this cause will return dividends for a decade or more to come.” They explain to potential donors that the race between Naig and Democratic farmer Tim Gannon is “dead even,” and that both candidates’ name ID is low.”
“While contributions to this 527 organization will be publicly reported, the Farm Bureau hints in its memo how donors can avoid being named until after the election. The group lists October 20 as their preferred deadline for contributions, adding that October 26 will be the last day they can effectively purchase ads with any new funds. They also explain that any contributions after October 17 will not be included in the public report to the Iowa Ethics disclosure website until post-election.”