Interested in learning more about candidates seeking office? Do you want to have a say in who Michigan Farm Bureau’s AgriPac endorses? If so, you should get involved with your county Farm Bureau’s candidate-evaluation process.
Candidate evaluation committees (CEC) compare those running for state and national offices, then make endorsement recommendations to MFB’s state-level AgriPac Committee, whose final choices are largely based on those local recommendations.
Practically the entire state government is on the 2026 ballot:
- Governor
- Lieutenant Governor
- Secretary of State
- Michigan Attorney General
- 38 Michigan State Senate seats
- 110 Michigan State House seats
- U.S. Senate
- 13 U.S. House seats
- 2 MSU Board of Trustees seats
- 2 Michigan Supreme Court seats
- Michigan Court of Appeals
“It’s important to try to get people elected who have the same values as agriculture, or who are at least open to learning about the agricultural industry,” said Carl Graham, who represents MFB District 3 on the AgriPac Committee.
“One of the biggest things I’ve found is that you need to do in-person interviews, because the candidates themselves are not typically who fill out the AgriPac questionnaire. You need to talk to them to figure out if you’re on the same page.”
Graham encourages any politically minded member to participate in candidate evaluation.
“In 2026 we are basically turning over all of our long-term, state-level political partners,” he said. “We’re to the point of starting over with our political relationships so now is the time to get involved.”
Contact your county Farm Bureau for more information and to get involved.
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