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.
In Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, tractors and tech hubs share the same political battleground. Recent redistricting added heavily Democratic suburban hubs like Gaithersburg and Germantown to the district’s traditional Appalachian base, transforming a long-standing conservative anchor into a prime swing battleground.
Running to represent this diverse mix of mountain agriculture, manufacturing and federal contracting are Democratic Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and Republican nominee Robin Ficker.
Congresswoman McClain Delaney represents Maryland’s 6th District and serves on the House Agriculture Committee. She is the daughter of a potato farmer in Buhl, Idaho. Before Congress, McClain Delaney worked as a telecommunications attorney, co-founded the D.C. chapter of Common Sense Media, and served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary at the National Telecommunication and Information Administration. At NTIA, she helped build and administer the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, which aims to expand network access to all Americans.
According to Ficker’s website, he is a lifelong Marylander who owns a farm in Boyds, Md. Running on a platform to “restore logic to government,” the veteran of the United States Army served in the Maryland legislature, where he says he empowered voters throughout Maryland. Ficker is also a small business owner who says he knows “what it takes to create jobs, and what the government does to make that harder and harder every day.”
Top Positions and Priorities
We reached out to both candidates with questions about their campaigns. At publication, we have only received a response from McClain Delaney.
You currently serve on the House Ag Committee. Do you hope to continue in that seat?
McClain Delaney: Yes. As the only Maryland Member on the House Agriculture Committee, I represent not only the 12,000 farms in the 6th District, but the agricultural priorities of the state. Although the courts have thankfully temporarily paused the closure of BARC, I am proud to have used my seat on the Committee to lead the charge in Congress to protect its world-class research and staff from USDA’s disruptive reorganization plans, and to have fought to provide our farmers with disaster assistance after a devastating frost and freeze event this spring. While I am glad to have secured wins for our farmers in the House-passed Farm Bill earlier this year — including provisions that would improve rural connectivity and strengthen conservation education programs — Congress must pass a bipartisan farm bill that meets the moment, and I hope to continue in my current role to make this happen.
What is your primary message to farmers, growers and ranchers? Why should they trust you to advocate for them in Washington?
As the daughter of an Idaho potato farmer, I know what it is like to operate on tight margins and live through the fear of losing your farm. With the rising costs of fertilizer and diesel, tariffs and trade disruption, I know that American agricultural producers are getting squeezed from all sides. I have been using my voice on the House Agriculture Committee to highlight how our government is failing rural America, and I am ready to work with anyone in Congress who will put common sense policy over politics.
What are your top 3 agricultural policy positions?
1. Access to land and capital is an issue for producers of all ages, but especially first-generation farmers. If we want to protect our food supply and rural America, we need to make it more accessible for farmers to access land and capital.
2. We must protect federal agricultural research. Farmers across the country depend on the Agricultural Research Service for timely, essential information to improve crop yields, protect against pests and disease, and keep American producers competitive in the global market. Any disruptions to this research through mass lay-offs and resignations stemming from USDA’s reorganization will put our food security and farming economy at risk.
3. Ensuring a stable agricultural workforce is essential to the success of the industry. Agricultural operations across many industries depend on foreign labor for their businesses. If labor cannot be secured then a producer may not be able to plant, harvest or stay above their bottom line.
What are two specific changes you would like to see for American agriculture?
American agriculture is rooted in strength and resiliency but recently has been forced to be more resilient than ever. Farm bankruptcies are at an all-time high, while input costs continue to increase and agricultural markets lag behind inflation. We need to provide resources, stability and legislation that farmers can count on.
The first priority is that Congress must pass a farm bill that meets the moment and does not put our producers on the back burner. Secondly, a major focus must be reversing and remedying the tariffs that disrupt agricultural trade and raise the cost of everyday goods. Our farmers need trade, not short-term aid.
What is your favorite personal story or connection to farming and agriculture?
I grew up in Buhl, Idaho, as the daughter of a potato farmer. My dad led the Idaho Potato Commission, and we had a family farm, so agriculture was a part of my life from an early age. One of the lessons that has stayed with me is how much hard work, sacrifice and resilience it takes to keep a family farm going. I remember the challenges farmers faced during the high-interest-rate years of the 1970s and 1980s, and those experiences shaped my understanding of the pressures farm families face.
Today, as the only Maryland member of the House Agriculture Committee, I carry those lessons with me. Whether I’m working on farm policy, conservation or supporting Maryland’s family farms, I believe we have a responsibility to make sure the next generation can continue farming and stewarding our land.
How will you champion the ag producers in your constituency when facing bipartisan or legislative hurdles in Congress?
I came to Congress running on common sense and common ground, and I have never shied away from working across the aisle. My team and I have consistently met with all five county farm bureaus in the 6th District, Maryland’s Secretary of Agriculture, and local producers. I listen to their priorities, I make their voices heard through my actions on Capitol Hill. Regardless of partisan divides, my No. 1 focus has always been showing up for my constituents. In 2025 alone, I secured more than $18 million for community projects in my districts, and my casework team has worked with federal agencies to reclaim millions more for my constituents. I will continue putting my constituents first.
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?
Food security is national security. This summer, we saw mass recalls for everything from lettuce to [frozen] blueberries and eggs. When Americans cannot trust the food they buy is safe to eat, it undermines public confidence in the entire agricultural economy. Congress should enable the FDA to ramp up its food inspections, and Congress must protect USDA’s invaluable research that is stopping disease outbreaks before they reach the consumers.
