Despite Potato Commission Flap, State Farm Bureau Endorses Newhouse

It's rather ironic that virtually the same time the Washington State Executive Ethics Commission has fined the Executive Director of the State's Powerful Potato board,  the State Farm Bureau announced it's endorsing Dan Newhouse for Congress.

The Farm Bureau released a statement Friday morning:

“We are very pleased to endorse Dan Newhouse in his congressional campaign to replace the retiring Doc Hastings,” said Mike LaPlant, president of the Washington Farm Bureau.” First and foremost, Dan is a farmer and the son of a farmer. He understands what it takes to run a family farm and the impact overreaching taxes and regulations can have on the viability of a family farm. Second, Dan was a successful state legislator and Washington State Department of Agriculture director. Both of these positions have prepared him to be an effective leader in Congress and strong voice for the state’s food producers.”

Much of the support bureaucratically comes for Newhouse because he is a former Washington State Agriculture Director.

It's ironic because challenger Clint Didier is also a farmer from the Connell-Mesa area, and still actively farms.   It's also interesting to see if there will be any agriculturally related fallout from the fines assessed against Chris Voight, Executive Director of the Potato Commission, for using his office and resources to campaign for Newhouse.

Voight is facing $10,000 in fines for using his Commission email and resources to campaign for Newhouse in Grant County.    Numerous emails were sent to farmers, using his position as Executive Director, to encourage potato farmers and members to support Newhouse.