The “Big First” congressional district of Kansas covers nearly two-thirds of the state and perennially is among the top agricultural districts in the country. In the 2012 Census of Agriculture, it ranked third in the nation with $14 billion in crops and livestock. The Republican primary for Congress isn’t until Aug. 2 but the Kansas Livestock Association already decided to back a challenger, physician Roger Marshall, over third-term incumbent Tim Huelskamp, a Tea Party conservative. In an announcement, the KLA said the district was not represented on the House Agriculture Committee during the writing of the 2014 farm law. “It cannot risk another farm bill without representation,” said KLA president Matt Perrier, a rancher.
Huelskamp was removed from the Ag Committee after the 2012 elections because of repeated disagreements with House Republican leaders, said the Topeka Capital-Journal. “The endorsement of agricultural groups is significant in the largely rural 1st District of western and central Kansas. The district is among the most conservative in the nation, traditionally granting the winner of the Republican primary an easy road to victory in November’s general election.”
Besides Marshall, Alan LaPolice, who ran against Huelskamp in 2014, is also in the race. On Oct, 16, the Capital-Journal said Marshall raised more campaign funds for the second quarter in a row. But Huelskamp had $700,000 on hand, compared to Marshall’s $192,485.