Focus on Rural America: New Polling Shows Harris Leading in Michigan and Wisconsin, Tied with Trump in Pennsylvania

Oct 2, 2024 | News, Report

Des Moines, IA – A new poll conducted by Rodriguez Gudelunas Strategies between September 19th and
23rd reveals Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump in the key battleground states of Michigan and
Wisconsin, while the race is tied in Pennsylvania. The survey of 400 likely voters in each state also show
Democratic Senate candidates leading in all three states.
Former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, co-founder of Focus on Rural America said, “It’s a big mistake to think
Trump-Vance have a lock on rural voters. Harris-Walz are out performing Trump and Vance in farm
state battlegrounds and they maintain a strong advantage on issues that matter the most to rural
voters.”
“Senate Democrats also hold decisive leads in key Midwest battlegrounds,” continued Judge. “Democrat
appeal runs deep in rural America, including access to rural health care, fighting for farmers and
biofuels, and protecting investments in climate smart agriculture.”

Presidential Race Highlights:

  • Michigan: Harris leads Trump 51% to 45%.
  • Wisconsin: Harris leads Trump 51% to 45%.
  • Pennsylvania: Harris and Trump are tied at 48%.
    Harris’ support is particularly strong among independent voters and women, with significant gender
    gaps in Michigan and Wisconsin. Harris leads among women by 20 points in Michigan and 21 points in
    Wisconsin, while Trump holds an edge with male voters.
    Key Issues Where Harris-Walz Lead:
  • Working with both parties: Harris-Walz lead by 12-16 points across the three states.
  • Unifying the country: Harris-Walz hold a double-digit lead in all states.
  • Telling the truth and leading with character: Harris-Walz lead by 7-13 points across the board.
    Senate Races:
  • Michigan: Elissa Slotkin leads Mike Rogers, 50% to 45%.
  • Wisconsin: Tammy Baldwin leads Eric Hovde, 52% to 44%.
  • Pennsylvania: Bob Casey leads David McCormick, 47% to 45%.
    The survey shows Democratic candidates performing strongly across multiple key issues, indicating
    competitive races heading into the final stretch of the 2024 election.
    Contact: Fmr. Lt. Gov. Patty Judge
    Focus on Rural America
    Email: info@focusruralamerica.org

Phone: (515) 210-2071

Focus on Rural America: New Polling Shows Harris-Walz Ticket Strong with Rural Voters in Key Battleground States

Oct 2, 2024 | News, Report

Des Moines, IA – A new survey conducted by RG Strategies between September 19th and 23rd across
Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin shows the Harris-Walz presidential ticket outperforming Trump
and Vance on key issues important to rural and small-town voters. The survey polled 400 likely voters in
each state and revealed strong support for Harris-Walz across a range of critical issues.
Key findings indicate that over two-thirds of voters in each state believe it is very important for the next
President to address the challenges facing small-town and rural workers. Additionally, Harris and Walz
hold a significant lead over Trump and Vance on issues such as improving healthcare access in rural
areas and understanding rural life.
“What we see reflected in the poll is that rural voters clearly remember how they fared under Donald
Trump,” said former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge. “Rural America suffered from Trump’s giveaways to his friends
at Big Oil at the expense of American ethanol. His policy of  allowing Big Oil to claim small refinery
exemptions that were meant for locally owned rural plants along with his trade war with China that hurt
agricultural goods most — were certainly not Rural America friendly”.
Top Issues Where Harris-Walz Lead:

  • Improving access to healthcare in rural areas: Harris-Walz lead by 12 points in both Michigan and
    Wisconsin, and by 11 points in Pennsylvania.
  • Understanding life in rural America: Harris-Walz lead by 5 points in Michigan, 7 points in Wisconsin,
    and 2 points in Pennsylvania.
    Rural voters also expressed strong support for the next President to prioritize climate-related
    agricultural issues, with overwhelming majorities in all three states supporting initiatives like climate-
    smart agriculture, biofuel integration, and the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
    The survey was conducted through a combination of telephone and online interviews, with a margin of
    error of ±4.9% per state. Tomorrow we will release results pf the presidential and senate horse races in
    each of the three states

Contact:

Fmr. Lt. Gov Patty Judge
Focus on Rural America
Email: pattyjudge1@gmail.com
Phone: (515) 210-2071

The HEROES Act is a Rural Lifeline

The HEROES Act is a Rural Lifeline

May 13, 2020 | News

House Democrats have proposed $3 trillion in additional relief aid in the HEROES Act. It’s a big bill — real big. Republicans were quick to reject it, but this is more than just a Democratic wish list. There is a ton of common ground in there, including billions for agriculture and rural communities that have missed out on relief in previous aid bills. For the countless problems that have cropped up in recent months, this bill brings ambition and creativity as a response. For a dairy industry that was on the ropes before this crisis even started, margin coverage and support. For agriculture producers who want to donate food but can’t afford the loss, full reimbursement for donations to food banks. There’s boosts to SNAP benefits and child nutrition programs. Meat processing plants have shut down because of acute outbreaks at their facilities — they get support to keep their doors open, and producers get payments for herds they’ve been forced to euthanize. On top of the previous $16 billion in direct payments to ag producers, there’s another $16.5 billion. There’s more: Billions in aid for states and municipalities faced with a fiscal cliff thanks to plummeting tax revenue. $5.5 billion for broadband expansion — something that nearly everyone agrees on but no one can seem to pass. Additional direct payments of $1200 for people making under $75,000. Additional protections for essential workers, whether they’re in a grocery store, a meat packing plant, or a corn field. A big one here is a lifeline for biofuels, an industry that has gone the entire length of this crisis without any help. They’ve been hit especially hard, with fully half the industry offline, and this relief could keep dozens of producers from going out of business. That matters to people. Industry groups of all kinds are applauding the bill — construction, pork producers, dairy farmers, biofuels. It’s a smart move by House Democrats, because when Republicans in the Senate reject this out of hand they are turning down help for the very same industries that their constituents rely on. Democrats are offering people the help that they need — Republicans are offering bankruptcy. It’s a strong contrast.
The Meat Supply is Broken. Thank Trump for That

The Meat Supply is Broken. Thank Trump for That

May 7, 2020 | News

Well, here we are: Meat shortages.

Retailers are limiting meat purchases by consumers as producers are forced to euthanize their herds. At this point you might be asking yourself how we got here, and that’s a good question!

Let’s get to it. 

To start off, a bit of background: When Tyson’s Waterloo, Iowa plant shut its doors, it took at least four percent of national pork processing capability down with it. That was one plant—just one—with 2700 employees, and it’s the result of years and years of consolidation in the industry. The four largest meatpacking firms capture the vast majority of all meatpacking capacity in the country. Their plants are highly concentrated operations with thousands of workers processing billions of pounds of meat every year. When one goes down, we all feel it.

Consumers rely on federal inspectors and regulations to make sure the products coming from these plants are safe. Or rather, they did — until the Trump administration axed regulations and cut the number of inspectors by more than half. So, before any of this started we were faced with a highly leveraged, highly concentrated system of meatpacking plants. Allied with them were a presidential administration, governors, and legislators across the country dead set on helping them maximize efficiency and profit, no matter the risks.

Then a global pandemic hit. 

Workers started getting sick. In a huge plant with thousands of workers and day-long shifts, you start breathing someone else’s air pretty quick. What we’re hearing again and again is that plants were not providing or even enforcing safety standards. The stories are endless: A lack of testing at first, then an unwillingness to test at all. Excessive pressure from management. Staff forced to work shifts while sick. No PPE provided, or even enforced.

It’s a nightmare, and it cost people their lives.

We hear that plants are now taking steps to slow exposure and protect staff — but at this point, it’s all too late. And worse, there’s no sign of accountability coming from Trump. In fact, he’s moved to grant broad liability protections to meatpackers if their employees get sick or die.

All this goes back to Trump. His administration should have been providing guidance to these plants from the beginning, advising and supporting so they could protect their workforce and keep this vital sector online. He didn’t, and now we’re here.

It didn’t have to be this way, and we’re not resigned to this in the future. Changing things will depend on strong leadership, intentional policy, and sound decision making that supports workers and farmers as much as the owners. These plant workers are real people, their lives have value, and they are dying so we can keep food on our plates. The Trump administration has failed them, and we have to make this right.

The Trump Administration Needs to Support the Rural Economy

Apr 16, 2020 | News

Focus on Rural America Co-Founder and former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge held an online press conference with rural leaders in Iowa and Washington, D.C. On the call, the National Farmers Union President, Rob Larew, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor, former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, and former Lt. Governor Judge called on the Administration to support rural economies and ensure they have a fighting chance to recover from the global coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing necessary to protect Americans and flatten the curve. 

“Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, our rural economies were struggling. In 2018 Iowa lost $2 billion in gross product to trade disruption. In 2019, 44% of growers across America struggled to cover their costs. Over the past three years, the President and Administration have given small refinery waivers to companies as big as Exxon and Chevron, which diverted more than four billion gallons of biofuels from the market. It is time we do all we can to protect Americans from the coronavirus and work to ensure every part of our economy has a chance to recover from this pandemic. If the President is going to sit down with oil executives to discuss direct payments, he should be doing the same thing with the biofuel industry. Everyone must be represented. We cannot provide a bailout to airlines, cruise ships, and oil companies and expect our economic engine to get back in order.” – Patty Judge, Cofounder of Focus on Rural America, former Iowa Lt. Governor and Secretary of Agriculture.

“Over the last several years, chronic overproduction, severely depressed prices, a global trade war, and extreme weather events have stretched small- and medium-sized family farms thin, pushing many out of business. This financial strain has been exacerbated by consumption shifts and supply chain disruptions related to the coronavirus pandemic. In the coming weeks and months, the Administration’s response will determine whether family farmers and rural communities can weather these challenges or if there will be an even greater wave of consolidation across agriculture.” – Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union

“Between fuel demand dropping, government uncertainty, and an economic downturn driven by coronavirus – farmers and biofuel producers have been stretched beyond the breaking point. Nearly half of the biofuel industry is already offline, which is causing a ripple effect throughout rural communities. This is a highly skilled workforce rural America cannot afford to lose and we’re calling on the USDA and this Administration to step in to address this threat.” – Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy

“The coronavirus is hitting and will continue to hit every sector of our economy, including the agriculture industries on which our rural communities rely. Twenty percent of the American economy is connected agriculture and today those producing, processing, and retailing our food supply are on the front line. We must help them continue to provide Americans with a safe supply of food, while also ensuring that our commodity growers, ethanol producers, and other biomanufacturers have access to the market. It is time for the Administration to get creative to minimize barriers and maximize assistance. The USDA could have a profound impact on rural economies if they help move our stable food supply to areas of demand in need of food, and use the Commodity Credit Corporation to mitigate the harm this pandemic is having on biofuel producers and other rural job creators.” – Tom Vilsack, former Secretary of USDA