Des Moines, IA — Mike Naig, the Republican candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, took over $150,000 from industrial agriculture interests this quarter, finds a Food & Water Action analysis of the campaign’s third quarter finance report, filed yesterday.

Since mid-July, Naig had only 307 contributions averaging $1,836, while Democratic candidate Chris Jones had 4,295 contributions, averaging $80 — 14 times the number of contributions. Just under half of Jones’ donors gave $15 or less. Food & Water Action has endorsed Chris Jones for Secretary of Agriculture.

Naig’s industrial agriculture donations include: 

• $50,000 from the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation PAC
• $40,000 from the pork industry, including $30,000 from Iowa Select owners Deb and Chris Hansen and $10,000 from Char Brenneman, owner of Brenneman Pork and wife of National Pork Producers Council Board President Rob Brenneman
• $33,500 from the ethanol industry including $10,000 from the Iowa Corn Growers Association State PAC and $5,000 from Archer Daniels Midland PAC
• $20,000 from the Koch Industries PAC
• $9,000 from the pesticide industry including $5,000 from Bayer PAC, the producer of Roundup

This comes as Iowa waterways have the nation’s highest concentration of cancer-causing nitrates, linked directly to industrial agriculture pollution, and Iowa has the nation’s second-highest and fastest-rising cancer rate. 

In response, Food & Water Action Senior Iowa Organizer Jennifer Breon issued the following statement:

“Mike Naig is bought and paid for by Big Ag. A former Monsanto lobbyist himself, Naig’s campaign donors are a who’s who of industrial agriculture corporations. Iowans need true leadership to reform our agriculture system and deliver clean water — not more of Naig’s pro-industry anti-health agenda. Chris Jones is the clean water fighter Iowans need for Secretary of Agriculture.”

Food & Water Action has endorsed a slate of 27 Iowa candidates committed to protecting clean water from industrial agricultural pollution including Chris Jones for Secretary of Agriculture. The group is canvassing in support of clean water candidates in the Des Moines, Iowa City and Davenport metro areas, with the goal of knocking on over 50,000 doors, talking to 8,000 voters, and distributing 1,000 lawn signs reading simply “Fix the Damn Water.”