Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp lost his seat on the House Agriculture Committee in 2012 for defying Republican leaders, and is challenged in the GOP primary as an ineffective rabble-rouser. “The three-term congressman says he’s now confident he will regain his Agriculture post by the next Congress,” says National Journal in sizing up the race. The executive director of the Kansas Republican Party told National Journal, “Right now, it is a truly contested primary.” The Kansas Livestock Association has endorsed Roger Marshall, a physician, in the August 2 primary. The Kansas Farm Bureau said it was too early to speculate about whom it would endorse. The Farm Bureau sat out the 2014 race after Huelskamp voted against the 2014 farm law.
“In an interview with National Journal, Huelskamp, who was raised on a farm and holds a Ph.D. in political science with a focus on agriculture policy, defended his record on agricultural issues and said he believes he will return to the committee on his own terms.” Huelskamp was named to the House Steering Committee, which determines committee assignments, in December. This month, he was named chairman of a House Small Business subcommittee.