WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader John Boehner today all-but guaranteed Randy Demmer a seat on the House Agriculture Committee should he knock off 1st District incumbent Tim Walz this fall.
“Randy Demmer has my full support for a seat on the House Agriculture Committee,” Boehner said today. “He would be a strong advocate for solutions that address the issues facing agriculture communities, and I look forward to working with him, the Republican leadership, and the Members of the Steering Committee to place him on the House Agriculture Committee at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Boehner’s guarantee is an effort to boost Demmer’s stock in the agriculture community by guaranteeing that the 1st District wouldn’t lose its seat on the influential panel that’s currently headed by Rep. Collin Peterson. Walz, the Democratic two-term incumbent, currently serves on the Agriculture Committee, so in effect Demmer would be taking Walz’ spot there.
“It is vitally important that Minnesota’s farmers have an ally in Congress who they can count on to defend and support agriculture and our rural communities,” Demmer said in a statement.
“I am honored that Congressman Boehner recognizes and values my experience in agriculture, and I look forward to restoring Southern Minnesota’s strong tradition of representation on the House Ag Committee,” Demmer said. “In stark contrast to Tim Walz’s record, I promise to work against the enactment and implementation of foolish policies like the cap and trade tax that would weaken our agricultural sector and take our entire economy down a dangerous and unsustainable path.”
This is not the first time Boehner has gotten involved in the 1st District race. He came to Minnesota in late August for an invitation-only Demmer fundraiser in Wayzata.
Update: Walz spokeswoman Sara Severs responds:
“Farmers have a clear choice in southern Minnesota. They can choose Tim Walz and his hard work on the Agriculture Committee and the 2008 Farm Bill, or they can go with Representative Demmer and John Boehner’s failed policies of the past. There’s a reason why John Boehner’s ‘Freedom to Farm’ legislation is commonly referred to as the Freedom to Fail bill in Minnesota: because of its disastrous effect on Minnesota agriculture.”
