Trump rallies in Kansas as rising farm costs fuel Republican concerns
about voter turnout
[October 20, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and JOHN HANNA
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fifth-generation Kansas farmer Glenn Brunkow
describes this time of year as “go time,” when farmers are combining
fields, hauling crops to town and moving livestock from summer pastures
to their winter homes.
But this harvest season, they’re doing it with diesel prices more than
$2.50 per gallon higher than a year ago, adding to financial pressures
from rising costs, unpredictable markets and shrinking profits.
“It seems like it’s coming at us from all directions,” said Brunkow,
president of the Kansas Farm Bureau.
The economic strain is becoming a growing political concern for
Republicans in states they have long dominated. President Donald Trump
appeared in Kansas on Monday and will go to Iowa later in the week, the
latest in a series of stops where he's trying to energize his base in
the final weeks before the midterm elections.
“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend please that I’m on the
ballot," Trump told the Kansas crowd. He spoke for over an hour and a
half, with protesters interrupting him several times.
The visits come as Republicans pour money into Senate races in Kansas,
Nebraska and Iowa amid concerns about voter enthusiasm. The anxiety may
be especially notable in Kansas — a state Trump won by 16 percentage
points against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 — as Republican Sen. Roger
Marshall faces a tough challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton. Democrats
have not won a Senate election in Kansas in 94 years.
Hamilton, the founder of the nation’s largest United Methodist church,
has attracted Republican support in his Senate bid, including
endorsements from two former GOP governors. In a video statement ahead
of Trump’s visit, Hamilton said it was “an honor” to welcome a sitting
president to Kansas.
"I want Kansans to know that if you voted for the president, you also
have a place in my campaign,” he added.
Brunkow, whose organization endorsed Marshall, said he’s been asked many
times whether the economic frustrations could drive Republican farmers
to vote for Democrats.
“I don’t think it necessarily does that,” Brunkow said. “But I think it
dampens the enthusiasm for agriculture producers to get to the polls.”
Republican voters' frustrations with the party have deepened
Don Hineman, a western Kansas rancher and former Republican state House
majority leader, said he’s seeing growing frustration among GOP voters
beyond just farmers, including some who have supported Trump in multiple
elections.
He said farmers understand that Trump’s tariffs have hurt their
businesses and are upset over the ongoing war with Iran. Immigration has
also become a source of concern, particularly after recent immigration
raids in western Kansas that resulted in the detention of more than 100
people.
“We need a secure border — we can all agree on that,” Hineman said. “But
we also need workable immigration policy that provides the workforce
that the United States has always depended on and will always continue
to need.”
Hineman said the traditional Republican argument in Kansas — that
electing Democrats would empower the party’s liberal wing — is losing
its effectiveness with some voters, including himself.
“I am tired of being persuaded by charges that the boogeyman is going to
get us,” he said. “I am so fed up with the Republican Party and their
willingness to play sycophant to our current commander in chief that I’m
willing to consider alternatives.”
Debbie Geneva, 61, of Nortonville, Kansas, said she was impressed by
Hamilton after he visited a local market to meet people, something she
hasn't seen Marshall do. She's never voted for a Democrat, she said, but
remains undecided about the Senate race.
“I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my entire life, so that’s a little
scary for me to be undecided,” said Geneva. "I told one of my friends
that, and they can’t believe it, but that’s just the way I feel right
now.”
Geneva said rising costs for healthcare and everyday expenses have added
to her frustrations.
“And then of course the trade agreements," she added. “The Republicans
haven’t done the Midwest any favors with that.”
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President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Heartland
Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP
Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Farmers face a financial squeeze
Farmers have spent months feeling the squeeze as costs for inputs like
diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared due to refinery constraints and
supply disruptions tied to the Iran war.
Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon nationwide on Friday, more than 70%
higher than a year ago, according to motor club AAA. The surge has been
especially painful during harvest season, when farmers depend heavily on
fuel to operate machinery and transport crops.
“This is a time of year when we use a lot of fuel, and there just isn’t
much we can do,” Brunkow said. “The margins are tight, and anything that
cuts into that margin really hurts.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that net farm income will
decline by 2.6% this year as production expenses rise by 4.5%. Fuel and
oil expenses alone are expected to jump nearly 30%, according to the
agency’s September forecast.
Trump said Monday night that the Department of Agriculture will be
launching a new harvest fuel relief program, claiming it will provide $8
billion in support for farmers to offset diesel costs.
“When Republicans win, we will pass even more funding for our farmers.
We love our farmers,” Trump said.
Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to ease limits on
the tax-free use of red-dyed diesel, a decision he said would save
“millions” for farmers. That came after a $12 billion aid package for
farmers announced by the Trump administration in December.
But those efforts have not erased frustrations among some farmers who
expected their financial outlook to improve under Trump.
Brunkow said many farmers “thought it would be better” under Trump.
“He’s made some unforced errors," said Brunkow.
Concerns spread beyond Kansas
Trump will travel on Thursday to Iowa, where Republicans are defending
competitive races for governor and Senate. The state, which Trump has
carried in three consecutive presidential elections, is another
agricultural stronghold where economic frustrations have become part of
the political debate.
In Nebraska, Senate Republicans have poured nearly $15 million into a
race between GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent candidate Dan
Osborn, an unprecedented amount for a state Trump won by 20 percentage
points in 2024.
David McIntosh, president of the influential Club for Growth, said his
group has kept a close eye on the heavy agriculture states since summer
and acknowledged concerns about a drop-off in enthusiasm. His group is
spending millions of dollars for GOP candidates in Kansas, Nebraska and
elsewhere.
“Farmers are squeezed between higher input prices and less of an
international market because of retaliatory tariffs,” McIntosh said.
“The economic environment has not been good.”
Democrats, meanwhile, see an opportunity in the economic frustrations,
even in states where they have struggled to win statewide elections.
Former Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who lost reelection in 2024,
said there is “no doubt” that Democrats will perform better than
expected in agricultural states.
“These guys got to pay bills at the end of the month, and for a number
of months now it’s been hard to do,” said Tester. “This is way beyond
politics.”
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Cappelletti reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Nick
Ingram and Collin Binkley contributed to this report.
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