As the number of lawmakers with direct ties to production agriculture continues to shrink, who will step up to speak for rural America? Farm Journal is proud to present Ag Vote 2026: Who Speaks for America’s Farmers?, delivering in-depth reporting from now through Election Day. Tune in for LIVE election night coverage Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Central on Farm Journal TV, Farm Journal Now, AgWeb.com and YouTube.
Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, stretching across suburban, exurban and rural communities south of the Twin Cities — including Dakota, Scott, Goodhue and Wabasha counties — has relied on direct representation on the House Agriculture Committee through incumbent Rep. Angie Craig. However, with Craig vacating her seat, the district’s agricultural community faces a potential shift in federal agricultural oversight.
Competing for the open seat are Republican nominee Eric Pratt and Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) nominee Matt Little.
State Sen. Eric Pratt, a Prior Lake resident who has served in the Minnesota Senate since 2013, earned the Republican nomination. Pratt holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MBA in finance from the University of St. Thomas. In the private sector, he worked for decades in banking and financial risk management, including positions at U.S. Bancorp. While his legislative leadership in the Minnesota Senate has focused primarily on economic development, tax policy and education, his platform emphasizes fiscal restraint, regulatory relief and lowering operating expenses for small businesses and producers.
DFL nominee Matt Little is an attorney, small business owner and former public servant from Lakeville, Minn. Little previously served as mayor of Lakeville and as a Minnesota state senator. Raised in the district, Little points to his grandfather’s 1,000-acre dairy and crop farm in western Wisconsin as a foundational influence on his work ethic and respect for agricultural producers.
Top Positions and Priorities
We reached out to both candidates with questions about their campaign. At publication, we have only received a response from Little.
You’re running for a seat that has previously been on the Ag Committee. Do you hope to continue in that seat? Why or why not?
Little: I am committed to helping our farming communities, and I would strongly consider serving on the Ag Committee to do just that.
What is your primary message to farmers, growers and ranchers? Why should they trust you to advocate for them in Washington?
In this campaign, I am fighting for all the underdogs, mavericks and rebels who feel left behind in this economy. I’m fighting for those who work hard but still can’t get ahead. Farmers feed the world, but this economy is crushing them with higher diesel and fertilizer prices, reckless trade wars that close critical markets and corporate conglomerates squeezing out family farms. I’m heading to Congress to help family farmers pass farms down to the next generation and build prosperity for their families.
What are your top three agricultural policy positions?
In order to create an economy where farmers can thrive, we need to first end the unnecessary and reckless war in Iran, which is driving up fuel prices for farmers and small-town businesses. We also need to end the tariff war, which has raised input prices for fertilizer and repair parts and made it harder for farmers, particularly Minnesota soybean growers, to find markets for their products. I would also reverse the SNAP cuts because that investment not only feeds families; it grows the rural economy. One dollar of SNAP benefits creates $1.54 in economic activity and farmer income, even in a weak economy. I would fight to rein in these reckless choices and get us on a path to an economy where growers can flourish.
What are two specific changes you would like to see for American agriculture?
The positions mentioned above are a strong start, but we can do more to help our farmers. I support year-round E15, raising the cap on capital loans so farmers can buy necessary equipment and expanding funding for beginning farmer programs by supporting federal legislation comparable to the Minnesota beginning farmer tax credit.
What is your favorite personal story or connection to farming and agriculture?
I have so many memories of working on my grandparents’ farm that it’s hard to pick a favorite. I think about hauling metal milking buckets back from the dairy barn when I was so small I could barely carry them. Or my grandpa telling me that mucking out the barn was good preparation for politics because they both shoveled the same stuff. But my favorite is just seeing my grandpa sitting in the combine around dusk; it’s where he loved to be, and he worked until the day he passed.
How will you champion the ag producers in your constituency when facing bipartisan or legislative hurdles in Congress?
I know this work can’t be done alone. I am committed to working with folks from all political parties if it means a better life for folks in the district. I believe bipartisan work starts with honest conversations, and saying what you really believe, even if it’s awkward. If elected, I will do just that for all my constituents.
Is there an issue impacting farmers, growers or rural communities in your district that we haven’t covered, or a key message you’d like to share directly with our readers?
I was born and raised in the district, and it makes me angry to see the American dream slipping away for so many. From housing and health care to childcare, prices have risen faster than income for decades, and it’s even worse for farmers struggling to break even. I am running to create an economy where farmers and small towns prosper. Ultimately, I’m in this for everyone who wants to earn a place in this economy, and I will give my all to my constituents in that fight.
