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Farm country has been waiting on a new farm bill for almost two years. Angie Craig, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee and a Minnesota congresswoman now running for the state's open Senate seat, joins Heidi and Joel to talk about what's holding it up, what tariffs have cost rural families, and why farm bankruptcies are becoming as much a security question as an economic one.
Angie covers the imbalance that lets large agribusiness thrive while beginning farmers struggle to get a foothold, what immigration enforcement means for rural communities, and where she thinks the next farm bill needs to go if it's going to help anyone outside the biggest operations.
In this episode:
- The status of the farm bill and what it means for small and beginning farmers
- The impact of trade tariffs on U.S. agriculture
- Rising farm bankruptcies and farm suicides
- Rebuilding trust and economic resilience in rural communities
- Political dynamics in Congress between Republican and Democratic members
- Election timing and Minnesota's primary process
- ICE reform and immigration policy's effect on rural labor
Resources & Links:
Connect with Angie Craig:
Congresswoman Craig makes a solid case for where Washington has failed rural America, and where it goes from here.
The Hot Dish is brought to you by the One Country Project. To learn more, visit OneCountryProject.org, or find us on Substack (Onecountryproject.substack.com), and on YouTube, Bluesky, and Facebook (@onecountryproject).
- (00:00) - - Introduction: Craig's district and rural policy focus
- (00:34) - - Farm bill negotiations with Republicans
- (03:25) - - Family farmers and rising bankruptcies
- (05:40) - - Structuring a farm bill for small and beginning farmers
- (09:43) - - Tariffs, trade wars, and international markets
- (14:06) - - Policy decisions and rural mental health
- (16:02) - - Immigration enforcement and its effect on communities
- (18:22) - - Winning rural voters and rebuilding trust
- (24:06) - - Immigration reform: farm labor and DACA recipients
- (30:50) - - Bipartisanship and election timing
- (35:22) - - Craig's campaign goals and vision for Minnesota
Creators and Guests
Host
Heidi Heitkamp
U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp served as the first female senator elected from North Dakota from 2013 – 2019. he is the founder and Chair of the One Country Project, an organization focused on addressing the needs and concerns of rural America. Heidi was recently named the Director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, a university she has long been committed to and a place where she enjoys engaging with students over civic discussions while encouraging them to seek opportunities in public service to our country. Heidi also serves as a contributor to both CNBC and ABC News.
Host
LA
Producer
Laura Anderson
What is The Hot Dish?
Former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp and her brother, KFGO radio talk show host Joel Heitkamp, engage in animated discussions with newsmakers, elected leaders, and policymakers who are creating new opportunities for rural Americans and finding practical solutions to their challenges. Punctuated with entertaining conversations and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry, The Hot Dish, from the One Country Project, is informative, enlightening, and downright fun.
heidi (00:04)
Welcome back to the hot dish comfort food for rural America. I'm Heidi Heikamp.
Joel (00:09)
And I'm Joel Hykeown.
heidi (00:11)
And today, Angie Craig, the congresswoman next door to us, ⁓ district ⁓ second, right? You're in the second congressional district in Minnesota, been serving for a long time, but you may wonder why Angie, and I would tell you because she is one of the Democratic leaders in rural policy, and she's engaged in a in a competitive primary ⁓ to to replace replace Tina Smith.
Rep. Angie Craig (00:20)
That's right.
heidi (00:38)
⁓ on the Democratic side, and I think it's really important to hear what she has to say about what we do with rural policy if in fact the Democrats take the Senate and ⁓ we actually have an opportunity to ⁓ take a look at the policies that have failed rural America, but importantly the positive things that can be done for rural America. So welcome to the hot dish, Congresswoman.
Rep. Angie Craig (01:03)
Thank you, ⁓ Senator. And ⁓ two hide camps are better than one, that's for sure.
heidi (01:07)
A
ton of people would say they're no, not not necessarily.
Joel (01:12)
Yeah.
Rep. Angie Craig (01:14)
No, I love talking to Joel, but I'm in awe of you. Thank you for your service to our country.
heidi (01:18)
Yeah. Well
well, thank you. And so, ⁓ Joel, I guess I'll give you the best question or the first question.
Joel (01:24)
Well,
Congresswoman, when you look at your dedication to AG, it isn't the most glamorous committee. We all know that, but it's one that ⁓ you've excelled at. And I wanna just point this out before I ask you something, that you know, chairman both ⁓ both chairman and ranking ⁓ minority member for a long time, Congressman Colin Peterson, who understands AG Inside and Out, has endorsed you ⁓ as his candidate for the United States Senate. So I just wanna put that out there. But
We still don't have a farm bill, and that's because of the majority party. And explain to me where we're at when it comes to the farm.
Rep. Angie Craig (02:01)
Well, first of all, ⁓ you talked about the Ag Committee. I think it's the sexiest committee in Washington. And who who would not re who could resist Colin Peterson ⁓ and his sunny disposition in serving in the US Congress? So I had to be on I had to be on the Ag Committee. I know, but I'm so on look, Colin was a huge mentor to me. and he served Minnesota so well. but
Joel (02:14)
Ha ha
heidi (02:17)
Cheery. Yeah, I mean, you know, a barrel of laughs, just fun, fun, fun.
Joel (02:20)
Yeah.
Rep. Angie Craig (02:30)
You know, I I remember back to we had breakfast in Washington last year. And, you know, Colin, we sat down at breakfast and he looked at me and he said, You're not gonna get a farm bill. And that those were his first words out of his mouth. and I said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. I'm an an optimist, Colin. I'm gonna work for it. And look, remember, you know, the question you just asked me is about the tiny little skinny no funding farm bill that is now over in the US Senate. That's not a real farm bill.
The Republicans decided they were gonna piecemeal the farm bill and put sixty-eight billion dollars into reconciliation to plus up ⁓ all the, you know, ⁓ ARC and PLC and ⁓ crop insurance programs, the safety net programs, which are critical. We we certainly would have agreed to that in a real farm bill. But a real farm bill would be a coalition of the nutrition side with family farming in this country, and that's not.
Where we are today. Unfortunately, my colleagues cut $187 billion from SNAP. ⁓ and now here we are with this skinny farm bill that passed out of the House with about 14 Democrats voting for it. I voted against it. I've been clear ⁓ to Republicans that you can't keep passing or putting forward bad policy on the ACT side and hurting.
working folks and hungry Americans ⁓ and get democratic support. So it's in the Senate. I hope it comes back to the House, Joel, in better shape than it went over there. ⁓ you know, I've never seen a more aligned group of ag Democrats than in the Senate right now, because you know, they've said all of them, you know, even John Fetterman ⁓ has said, you know, that they're pushing back.
⁓ on this cost shift to the states, this unfunded mandate. My colleague my Republican colleagues like to complain about unfunded mandates all the time. Well, that's what they did in transferring ⁓ all of the cost ⁓ to the states for the SNAP program. And it really does put Minnesota in jeopardy. But there's no doubt that family farmers are hurting. I mean there's so many issues we could talk about there. I I'm ⁓
I come to work every single day thinking about my own grandfather who lost his job as a farm foreman during the nineteen eighties farm crisis when the farmer lost the farm. So this is really personal to me, Joel and Heidi, and you know, seventy percent that's what farm bankruptcies are up since Donald Trump became president of the United States again.
heidi (05:14)
And one of the issues, Angie, quite honestly, is, you know, we seem to be pretty able to take care of the big farmers. But right now in this farm crisis, it is the small guy. It's the guy who's just starting out, the beginning farmer, the farmer that's trying to make a living on, you know, maybe two thousand acres and some livestock that's really struggling. And you know, that's leading to a whole lot of insecurity in rural America. And so
How how do you see, let let's just envision that ⁓ the Democrats take the Senate and the Democrats take the House, and now they really have a chance to forge through those leadership positions a new farm bill. What do you think will change other than adding money back in the nutrition side? How do you how do you see a farm bill ⁓ maybe restructured to help the small guys?
Rep. Angie Craig (06:10)
Well, this has always been a passion area for me, Heidi. you know, the ad hoc assistance too that has been provided by the Congress has mostly gone to the big farms as well. So it sort of continues down. You know, we have a major crisis looming in ⁓ farm country, and that is the aging of the family farmer and the fact that these young and beginning farmers ⁓ have so many barriers to.
be able to get into farming unless you've got capital, operating capital, unless you're inheriting a family farm, th then you have a real challenge getting into this right now. So, you know, one of the areas I've really been working on is to help change the definition of new and beginning farmer ⁓ from up to five years to you know up to ten years. I mean it often takes that long if you're going for a USDA loan to be able to establish yourself
in this country. ⁓ You know, the Farm Bill has always relied on this farming and ⁓ hunger coalition. And unfortunately, Republicans in this Congress have really disrupted the hunger and ag coalition. And this is the way I like to talk about it. Is like you can't view one in isolation from the other. This is an entire supply chain, right? It's the farmers who grow the food. It's the
Truck drivers who take it to the grocery store. It's the clerks who put it on the shelves. It's hungry Americans who have access to the SNAP program when they need it with all of the guardrails in place for it and temporarily. ⁓ Then if you just take all of that supply chain as one element and understand that when you cut SNAP by
Hundred and eighty-seven billion dollars, you actually just cut farm income by twenty-five billion because that's the piece of the pie that is owned by the family farm farmer. Heidi, I ask Secretary of Agriculture Brook Brooke Rollins, is this coming to your ⁓ independent question, to tell me the number of farms that have gone under in the last year. ⁓ she couldn't answer the question.
Farm bankruptcies are up 70%. I said, but the correct number, she gave me some number of 300 and something. The correct number is 15,000. And why that is, is they're not all going bankrupt, but these small family farms, the second, third, fourth generation farms, are being forced to sell to the larger ag groups. And this is making us less safe.
If food security is actually a national security issue, we would be taking this much, much more seriously.
Joel (09:05)
I I know that one of the things that the banks are using as a tool is to just take away those operating loans, which force that bank or that ⁓ farmer out. And both you and I and Heidi know that farm suicides are up. ⁓ my question relates to this, ⁓ tariffs. I want to talk about tariffs for a second because farmers are very good at investing in themselves through checkoff dollars. And they take those checkoff dollars, they head to places like China and they build relationships.
All those relationships now have pretty much gone to hell because of these tariffs. So as a United States Senator, if you find yourself sitting in one of those chairs, what are you going to do about it?
Rep. Angie Craig (09:47)
Well, look, I've been fighting these damn tariffs every single day of the week ⁓ since this administration came back into place. You're exactly right. When you destroy relationships that you've built, trade relationships that you've built over years, it takes years to build them back. And that's what the Trump administration has done. I think they either underestimated or they didn't give a damn.
that China was gonna go to Argentina and Brazil to source. you look at my soybean growers here in Minnesota right now, they've just got nowhere to sell to. And even if they do, ⁓ you know, prices are not great. Corn, terrible, under four dollars a bushel right now. it's just been devastating. And then you think about what the president, by the way, during an ag committee.
Hearing to talk about the importance of USMCA, President Trump announces that he is completely disinterested in renewing USMCA. Minnesota's most important to export markets. So, you know, these relationships, I don't think people understand the across-the-board tariffs that are driving up costs for consumers, for my constituents, for everyone. They've driven up
What farmers would call input costs from fertilizer as well as a result of the Iran war, and diesel costs because of the Iran War. But you put all that together, and what you've got is farmers, family farmers, small farmers, cannot make money. They're losing money. And how long can you operate your business when you're losing money? And then you throw on top of this.
The trade situation, the fact that they haven't expanded domestic markets whatsoever. They've done a lot of talking about it, but they haven't gone to year-round E15. We've been pushing that. But you know, I get up every day, and as a US senator, I would get up every day and push and challenge and promote good policies, both from an export trade market, expansion of these domestic markets.
And look, we could talk about the Iran War for the policy of it, but there is no doubt about it that if you're a family farmer, the Iran war has been absolutely terrible for you. If you've got to drive distances, which is rural America, the Iran War has been terrible for you. Then I'm just going to end with this. On top of all of it, they've decimated health care. And we know that rural communities are were very dependent upon the ACA tax credits, which are no longer.
Pour on top of that, the Medicaid cuts, and you have a recipe for truly diminishing rural communities across our country, which I grew up in one and I am offended and I'm gonna fight every day against it.
heidi (12:56)
Yeah.
You know, it's interesting because when you talk about trade, ⁓ just this week, the EU has announced a major trade deal, probably the largest free trade agreement ⁓ by population in the history of the world. ⁓ you know, we've got our North American, what we used to call NAFTA, but now is the US MCA. And so all these other countries, if you say, you know, just give it time, just give it time.
Guess what we're discovering? Giving it time means that we we we have the potential of even losing more markets. And so I I know Joel hears it and I hear it. I you heard it a lot that earlier in his administration this time around. you know, he's he's a smart guy. He would never do that. It's not that that he's he's gonna pull the rabbit out of the hat and he's gonna be successful. Well, I don't know how you can look at the numbers that you just gave, Angie, and say,
He's been successful in ⁓ in promoting rural America. But yet we have and and you've been out there in rural Minnesota, we have the the folks who just still cling to the belief that he is gonna solve their problems. When he he not only hasn't solved their problems, he's made worse.
Rep. Angie Craig (14:10)
Yeah, when I first ⁓ became ranking member, I was remember I was down in San Antonio, we were at the Farm Bureau Conference, and I heard a lot of people say, Well, we hope it's a lot of bluster around the tariffs. ⁓ Newsflash, it wasn't bluster. And what I say to family farmers, because hi, I I win a lot of these family farmers in Minnesota in my district, and I've got a lot of support statewide from
farmers who may not vote for every Democrat, but they are supporting me in my US Senate race, and many of them supported me in ⁓ Congress as well. But what I say to them is, I know you didn't vote for this. Look, at the end of the day, the Trump administration has implemented so many policies that have hurt family farmers. And, you know, they continue to try to hide it by saying this is the golden age in agriculture. You know,
Farmers are some of the smartest people I know and they can smell cow manure, you know, coming from a policy perspective or an administration, you know, several miles away. So, you know, I I really do think and the way that I try to communicate with folks is, you know, look, I I have a history of calling the balls and strikes the way that I see I didn't think we were focused enough on going out and addition and getting additional trade agre agreements in agriculture under the Biden administration.
I stood up, I said that for nearly two years. I'm telling my family farmers that you are getting screwed by this administration. And you you you just, you know, just look at it on policy ⁓ and make an objective decision. You didn't vote for this. And I think we all, Republicans, Democrats, should have a responsibility to speak out with the harm that is coming to farm country. And you started it.
Joel, a minute ago, I think, ⁓ on this topic of farm suicides. ⁓ It breaks my heart every time I hear of one. And I am hearing of a completed suicide way too often right now. And I've sat down with some of these families, and I think it's really hard for some folks to understand just how tied up one's identity as a farmer is to oneself.
out in in farm country. And so ⁓ it it it it's something that I feel a responsibility to both you know put my fist up and fight against this administration. But I also feel a responsibility to reach out to farmers and say, you didn't vote for this, take my hand and we can lead ourselves back to better policy in this country if we elect the right people.
heidi (16:59)
Yeah, I think it's no doubt.
Joel (16:59)
So, what do you say to those people watching
the hot dish right now that might not understand rural? They maybe learned a little bit about rural, ⁓ but they're not rural. And they look at people like you and and Heidi and people who have been in those chairs, ⁓ and they say, all you gotta do is pay them off. You know, go ahead and write the farmer a big check from the government and then don't worry about it because they'll still vote Republican and they'll be fine. They'll still be MAGA through and through. What do you say to those folks?
Rep. Angie Craig (17:29)
They would rather we bring them ⁓ markets and they would rather we bring them ⁓ a policy environment where they can be successful. They do not want the quote unquote handouts. They want an opportunity to create their own luck. And so, you know, for people who don't understand what look, when I travel around Minnesota right now, what's stunning to me, no matter where I am, whether it's in
You know, Minneapolis and St. Paul, whether it's in the suburbs, whether it's in on the range, whether it's in the Fargo Moorhead area, is actually just how similar everyone is feeling. And I say that, and I've spent quite a bit of time recently with independents, just listening to where they truly are, what they value, community, access to health care, the pain they're feeling, housing cost, rent going up.
⁓ healthcare costs going up, grocery costs going up. I it's what's fascinating is in this era of political division, I have never heard on the basic economic issues more consensus. And you're right, there are a lot of Republicans, particularly farmers, who are going to vote Republican. They're going to vote for Donald Trump. But I'll give you an example from my congressional district. ⁓ We can win some of them back.
⁓ in my last election in my most rural county with the most ag Lasour County, ⁓ my good friend Tim Walls and Kamala, they, you know, they they had a ⁓ a particular percentage that they lost the district, the the county by. I performed 10 points better than the top of the ticket in that county. We're not trying to win 50%.
in every red area. We're trying to do four to six to seven to eight percent better than we are today. And if I my belief is and what I've done is I've shown up out of my blue bubbles. I've let people know that I care about what's important to their lives. ⁓ And I've gotten to know their families and their lives. And if you do that and you do that enough, ⁓ people will start to understand that you're actually doing this for the right reasons.
And they'll give you a shot. That's how you win people back in rural communities in America.
heidi (19:54)
Yeah. And and you and and
like you, Angie, you can't show up just election year. You gotta show up all the time. And then they know you're serious. That you really and and it you know, if you look at at ⁓ Trump, they'll say, Well, at least he hears us, at least he sees us. Well, what he saw was political opportunity.
Rep. Angie Craig (20:01)
Nope.
It it it can't be a flyby. If it's that, it's not gonna work.
heidi (20:21)
He he is understanding of American agriculture, you could maybe put in a thimble. ⁓ but but he definitely understands personality, right? That that people felt like they were neglected and wanted to be heard. And and you know, i it so so here we are digging our hole deeper for agriculture, digging our hole deeper for rural America by decimating programs that are essential and not building
⁓ opportunity the the way we see it. And it's just, I mean, that building opportunity that that is available because we're so busy fighting for survival. You can't grow if you're just fighting to survive. And that's really what's happening right now in rural America. But but Angie, I want to kind of turn to an issue and it certainly has affected Minnesota more than any other state, and that is
the behavior of vice agents and what that means to a community that is trying to reflect what you and I would probably consider American values. I'm not sure that everyone would consider those American values. Now you have this very high profile, two high profile shootings, one in Texas and one in Maine. How how do you see that affecting politics in Minnesota or really national politics?
Rep. Angie Craig (21:47)
Look, I think it just reminds us of the work we have to do to dismantle the Trump administration's ICE. Look, the only way we put any guardrails on this administration, and particularly ICE, is by winning elections and taking majorities back. You know, when I talk to going back to family farmers, when I talk to family farmers, you know, they have
relied on their immigrant labor for years and years and years. And to see ICE come into a place like Minnesota with no regard. I'm not going to identify myself. I'm, you know, going to wear a mask the whole time. I'm going to terrorize a community of black and brown folks, whether it's the Hispanic community or the Somali community in Minnesota. That is exactly
what they did. and then I'm gonna just shoot people for absolutely no reason. And so what it really emphasizes to me at this is that this fight has just begun to put those guardrails on you know the particularly ICE but the entire agency and that you know we can't fund them under
Regular appropriations until they make reforms inside that organization. But at the end of the day, this is about more than that. It's about who are we as Americans, right? Are we a country of immigrants where we can actually have policies that make sense? Of course, we need a safe and secure border. Of course, we need processes. But you know what else we need? A long time ago.
We should have allowed our dreamers a path to citizenship a long time ago. I've got so many farmers who come up to me and say, I would sponsor my undocumented ⁓ laborer. this person is a part of my family. Help me give them a path to legal status in this country. I got folks coming to me all the time. Expand the H2A program, make farm labor year-round. There are so many things under a comprehensive.
look at immigration that we could be doing to both make sure our communities remain safe and at the same time ensure that we remain a country of immigrants. But right now the the murders that are happening across this country, it's it's un American. And there must be consequences for that. I remind everybody all the time in Minnesota, after the killings of Renee Good,
And Alex Pretti, that the statute of limitations is five years and that we have an opportunity to take the White House back and make sure that there's accountability for those murders in Minnesota.
Joel (24:50)
So let me put this to both of you. The door gets shut. Okay. You're you're in one of those chambers, you in in the house right now, Angie, Heidi, you in the Senate, and soon probably to be Angie, but you're in those chambers and you make those relationships. when the door gets shut and the Republicans are sitting there, there's no cameras, no microphones, none of that, what do you hear?
But what I'm gonna throw that first to you, Angie. What what do you hear? You're not gonna name a name because you know what, that's breaking a confidence, but I'm asking you, what do you hear?
Rep. Angie Craig (25:28)
Look, what what what I hear is ⁓ actually it's more facial expressions at this point, Joel. It's like, you know, shaking our head shaking their heads, you know, knowing that I'm right about the stupidity of these tariffs, about the Iran war driving up costs for family farmers, about the fact that E-15 can't get across the finish line. they know. Now
heidi (25:35)
Ha ha.
Rep. Angie Craig (25:55)
I will say two years ago that conversation would be happening with a lot of these members. They would be admitting that the president's, you know, wrong or the policies are wrong, or they would be criticizing the president to me directly. But something's happened in this last Congress. And this is one of my greatest fears is we do not have a Republican Party that is willing to push back at all on this president.
Because the accountability in their mind is too high. They're either gonna get a primary and a fierce challenge, and Trump will endorse their opponent, or their family is gonna get violent death threats. Those are the two things that my Republican colleagues worry about the most right now. And so, you know, we used to have a lot, you know, the Adam Kinzingers and the Liz Cheneys in the house where, you know, they would publicly speak out.
Now it's hard to even get them to admit in private just how far they have sold their soul to Trump and the MAGA Republican Party. So, you know, I wish I could tell you that I had a bunch of colleagues who were remorseful. ⁓ and and really ⁓ I think a lot of them truly know at this point that they've sold out. And you can see us you and sense in them that, you know, they know.
that they've had to sell their soul. And quite frankly, this, you know, I mean, Heidi, you've done the Senate, I've done the House. It's not worth selling your soul for. Not for any of it. And so it's it's really disappointing. I'm disappointed in my Republican colleagues.
heidi (27:28)
Yeah.
So so Joel, just take the tariffs. So then Trump won when they when he started down that path, not nearly as aggressive ⁓ aggressively as he did in this term. ⁓ I introduced a bill with Jeff Flake and Bob Corker to basically say, let's take the power back from the administration. These aren't emergencies. We have to do more to assert Article One powers. We have to, you know, get to set tariffs and
Be responsible. And ⁓ there were a lot of folks who were willing to say, yeah, let's have a hearing, let's do what it takes. I don't think you haven't seen any of that among the Republicans in this administration, because look, if you just deviate a little bit, ⁓ you get look what's happened to ⁓ Cassidy, Senator Cassidy.
⁓ you know, basically losing his primary. Even Macy, who's more conservative, Angie, than Macy? But yet he didn't tow the line and Trump took him out. And so I think that I know people are discouraged and they don't think things change. They don't think that things change fast enough. But I tell you, you we have got to send a message as the American public that ⁓ being completely complicit in whatever Donald Trump does that day.
is not something that's good for your political career. And so that's why this midterm is so critical is to send that message to all the people who would be, you know, collaborators and appeasers and doing whatever they could to ⁓ put Donald Trump's policies, whatever they are that day. I mean, so if you had came out come out yesterday and said, yeah, we should charge people at the, you know, 20% for the straight her moose.
You know, but said shipping through there. And then the next day Donald Trump says, never mind. I mean, ha, how does that work? I mean, you know, if if you're working towards a policy, work towards a policy. But but I would tell you that he has weeded out the the good ones, the ones that would ⁓ basically tell you what they exactly what they thought. And you know, I think I hate to bring up Lindsey Graham, but I've been thinking a lot about Lindsay's legacy and and how that kind of trajectory.
You know, which which which behavior are you gonna judge him by? And you know and I know that history judges behavior by the last thing that happened. You know, you can be Diane Feinstein and have an incredible record of fighting fighting for democracy, international democracy, you know, fighting for her state water rights. And you know, that's not how she's gonna be remembered in California. And so time short. What I would say to all those colleagues, and you don't know when your time is up.
So do the right thing, because you know, as long as you hit you're okay with it. But what is really sad is how many people, like Angie said, they know that they have like sold their soul. They know that they have been, you know, have not been character-driven leaders. ⁓ and and I guess they're okay with it as long as they stay in office, but they'll be remembered in a way that I don't think will be favorable.
Joel (30:54)
Well, Heidi, you and I were raised the same way by the same people. So the one thing that both mom and dad told us was to not ever speak ill of the dead. so when it comes to Lindsey Graham
Rep. Angie Craig (30:54)
Couldn't agree with you more.
heidi (31:10)
You're silent.
Yeah, I get it.
Joel (31:15)
I I'm serious.
I mean, I I look at him as one of the individuals that did more damage than what he ever did good for this country. Now I'll be the only one that needs to say that. I'll I'll let it go from there. ⁓ Congresswoman, you're up in a tough race. ⁓ you are. It's a tough primary. I think Minnesota's got it wrong. ⁓ I think that the primary in Minnesota needs to be much earlier. And if there's ever a time to prove that, it's it's this race. because by now, whoever is going to be running.
in the fall needs to be running in the fall ⁓ already. So my two cents, you are a leader in the Democratic Party in Minnesota. So whatever you can do to get that changed, the better. But ⁓ as we said earlier, ⁓ I have you on the radio a lot. And I can tell you the reaction I get from the public is one that's very positive. So it it doesn't coincide necessarily with this question, but I have to ask it.
We just talked a lot about what's wrong with the Republican Party. we did. But something has to be wrong with the Democratic Party. because we are in the minority. And if we're not in a position where we're in the majority and all these things are happening, then we've got to do a little reflection here. We got to look in the mirror. And Congresswoman, I want your take on that.
Rep. Angie Craig (32:36)
Well, yeah, I you know, I said previously that unless we win elections, we can't stop Donald Trump, we can't stop the Republican Party. We can put no check and balance on any of these things. And, you know, what I can tell you is that, you know, in my own congressional district, my governor and Kamala Harris, they won by five in 2024, and I won by 14 percentage points. So going out, talking to everybody.
getting out of our blue bubbles, understanding that, you know, as Democrats, we need to meet people where they are if we're gonna get them to where we want them to be. but the first key is we gotta go meet them. and look, I will say about, you know, the current Democratic Party, I've got a a lot of great colleagues here in Washington. not every single one of them could win a a purple state like Minnesota. I think we confuse Minnesota for a blue state.
You know, it's a D plus three state, the same as my congressional district. It's the very definition of swing state. we've got a tied state house and a one seat majority in the state senate. And that we can't sit on a state like Minnesota. We can't take it ⁓ for granted. And look, I I you know, we're we've always been a big tent party in the Democratic Party. But what I would say is ⁓ new folks who are coming into the party right now.
If they want to help us beat a Republican, I think that is fantastic. But Democrats are spending way too much time ⁓ beating up ourselves, beating up Democrats, literally trying to tear down Democrats. ⁓ I, you know, family fights are always hard. a primary is always ⁓ tough. But you know, I keep telling people, men have been doing this for years, right? Where you get two or three men battling it out to be the candidate. ⁓
You know, you've got two women from Minnesota who've both held office, ⁓ me four terms in the Congress, the lieutenant governor of Minnesota for the last eight years. she's been ⁓ in state government. ⁓ you know, I had never run for anything in my life before I ran for Congress ⁓ and and won it in twenty eighteen. And candidly, the only reason Democrats let me run because I was the ex you know, very definition of an outsider.
is because we'd gotten our butts kicked by 17 points the cycle before and there was no line to run in the second district because it was sort of like, you know, well, next, next loser. and and and and you know, we we took that district from a minus seventeen to ⁓ winning it by fourteen points in a decade. I'm proud of that. ⁓ I believe that I will be able to replicate that statewide.
heidi (35:10)
Yeah.
Rep. Angie Craig (35:26)
You know, d I want to be certainly a U.S. senator for the Twin Cities. I've got the support of the mayor of of Minneapolis, Jacob Fry, the mayor of St. Paul, Khali Hur. ⁓ but I want to be a U.S. senator for the entire state and ⁓ take my work and passion for ⁓ family farming and small farms statewide. And so, you know, I've spent my whole life ⁓ working in and around health care, lowering health care costs.
and you know, at the end of the day, I I'm ready to go on day one to both take on the Trump administration. I I sometimes say I know when to make a fist ⁓ and metaphorically punch, but I also know how important it is to figure out where you can extend your hand ⁓ to get something done. And I consider myself ⁓ you know a pragmatic progressive ⁓ who has passed ⁓
thirteen bills in eight years. And Heidi, you know, you know that's not easy to actually get a bill signed into law. So ⁓ you know, I'm excited about the opportunity to be the next US senator from Minnesota and I hope Democratic primary voters will give me that opportunity.
heidi (36:27)
Pretty impressive. Yeah.
Joel (36:41)
Well, be safe out there. ⁓ I know that ⁓ both you and and we have to go. So how do people get in touch with you? How do people who want to maybe give you a buck? What what's your website?
heidi (36:41)
Well, thanks.
Rep. Angie Craig (36:53)
So my website is at angiecraig dot com. You can figure out how to give me a buck, or you can reach out and hit the volunteer button. We'd love to have you come help us win this thing.
heidi (37:03)
Great, great. Thanks so much, Angie. And thanks so much for carrying that rural message. And you know, how important is it to elect someone like you who ⁓ who actually has done the hard work? You didn't just show up in election and say, hey, look here, I got broadband for you. ⁓ you showed up and said, you know, I need to know what you think is working, what isn't working, and how we can make it better. So thanks so much, Angie. Great. Take care. Yeah, all right.
Rep. Angie Craig (37:26)
Well, it's an honor to be with both of you. Royalty.
heidi (37:34)
Well, Joel, it's getting to be kind of crunch time for these candidates for the United States Senate. Low, you know, these ⁓ late primaries like ⁓ Representative Craig has can be either good or bad. ⁓ but you know, it it's shaping up to be the Senate race, don't you think in Minnesota? Whoever wins is probably gonna win that Senate seat.
Joel (37:56)
Yeah, ⁓ I'm not so sure about whoever wins is going to win. I think that these late primaries are absolutely ridiculous because as you know, money is a lot in politics and the money that whoever wins could be raising for that fall race, they're not raising for the fall race. They're beating each other up with. And so
I wish that the primary race was earlier in Minnesota. We've had Congresswoman Craig on with us a number of times on my on my radio show and ⁓ she's been excellent that way in terms of coming on whenever we asked her, but I just think it's too late of a primary height.
heidi (38:34)
Yeah, well and I think it used to be later. I think now isn't it in August? Yeah. It used to be September the
Joel (38:39)
Yeah. Well i it a lot of these races
are decided by September, you know.
heidi (38:43)
Yeah.
Well, we're talking about, you know, i i whether we see any substantial changes in the lay of the land politically across the country. And I think that what unfortunately happened in Maine and in Texas, with more of the facts coming out, it's just getting to be too much, I think, for many, many people to think somebody could be just driving me even with their kid in the car.
and be killed ⁓ for no apparent reason. I mean, you know, being in this country without documentation is not a capital offen offense, but it apparently, you know, it is in some cases. And if you defend them like Pretty and Good did, ⁓ if you're out there, you know, saying this isn't the America I want to live in, I guess you're vulnerable too. And so ⁓ you know, at what point does
Does this become a deciding factor in terms of how people vote?
Joel (39:43)
Well, going away from the the the ac sheer fact that a man was killed in Maine, it you know, going away from that, what we did ⁓ was as people we we endorsed it by not getting after it enough. And I use the word we because we're Americans. And I think that America needs to rise up.
Not just us as Democrats, ⁓ which we've been doing a really good job of, but independents, moderate conservatives. I mean, there's always going to be the magazine Heidi that are gonna support him no matter what. I mean, it it we know that. We know that, whether it be through sexual assault, whether it be through whatever, but Donald Trump has a base that's solid, and that base is around 32 to 35 percent. You know, the the rest of us need to rise up and say,
Enough of this bullshit.
heidi (40:36)
Yeah. I it's it's it's so tragic, you know. people without their dads, ⁓ husbands ⁓ gone. I in some cases sole support for the family. And you know, I I know that you have a good friend in Maine who is on the ballot. and I'm I'm just curious how you think this shooting could affect Susan Collins.
Joel (40:59)
Well, ⁓ I mean the politics side of this is it it just it can't help her. It it's gonna hurt her, if anything, and it's gonna hurt her, in my opinion, ⁓ drastically ⁓ because now she's in a position again where she has to ⁓ take on the most powerful man in the United States of America. And you know, well if you're her, what do you do? You've got vote after vote where you've supported him.
And now his his ice agents are going around killing people without body cams on after they promised they'd have body cams on. And so, you know, my friend ⁓ Matt Dunlop, who, by the way, you could help donate to his campaign. Matty's a great guy. ⁓ I traveled Russia with Matt and he's scary smart. But, you know, Matt believes that the Platinair thing was never going to hurt him in his race. ⁓ I think this shooting, this killing.
takes the Platinum thing out of the equation, ⁓ way more than what Susan Collins wanted it to.
heidi (41:59)
Yeah.
Well, and and if you think about it, ⁓ you know, Susan is in an incredible ⁓ powerful position being chair of the appropriations committee and the Democrats have tried to create, you know, basically get ICE reforms as part of the appropriation process and that's been resisted. And so, you know, if you can say, Well, what could she do about it? Well, she she's a very she's very powerful. She's a very powerful ledge senator.
Joel (42:21)
Yeah.
heidi (42:30)
behind leadership, probably the most powerful as chair of the appropriations committee, and you know, taking a stand and, you know, being concerned or I don't like it, when you have the power to at least try and stop it, tells you that you really need to you y you know, t there may be vulnerability there for her.
Joel (42:51)
Yeah. ⁓ she finds a way to win. I realize that. But if I had my last ten bucks in my wallet, ⁓ I I'm voting or I'm betting that she doesn't win. I think she ran one too many races, is what happened.
heidi (43:03)
Yeah.
heidi (43:07)
Thanks for joining us today on the hot dish brought to you by One Country.
Joel (43:10)
You can learn more about us at one country project dot org and and be sure to follow us on Substack, YouTube, Facebook, and Blue Sky.
heidi (43:19)
And we're gonna be back next week with more hot dish. Comfort food for rural America.