Two Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee, Reps. Tom O’Halleran of Arizona and Cindy Axne of Iowa, are in uphill fights for re-election against Republicans, according to political handicapper Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Two other committee Democrats, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Sharice Davids of Kansas, are in toss-up races.
None of the Republicans on the committee is in as much peril, said the political website, which updated its House ratings this week. The Crystal Ball lists 218 seats — “the magic number for winning a majority” — as safe, likely, or leaning Republican.
O’Halleran, a former Chicago police officer, is seeking his fourth term and faces Eli Crane, a Trump-endorsed Republican, in the GOP-leaning 2nd Congressional District. A onetime Navy SEAL, Crane started a company that converts bullets and grenades into bottle openers. In an interview with the Arizona Daily Sun, O’Halleran said water was the most important issue for the state. On his website, Crane listed election integrity as his top issue.
Axne, who beat a Republican incumbent in 2018 for her first term in the House, is being challenged by State Sen. Zach Nunn, an Air Force veteran. Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District includes Des Moines and many of the counties on Iowa’s southern tier. Nunn voted as a legislator to ban abortions after six weeks and says states should decide on abortion access, reported Iowa Public Radio. Axne says the decision should be left to women.