California farm voters feel left out of presidential race

FRESNO, California. Farmers’ markets, especially on Wednesdays, serve as this city’s town square. Parking lots fill up quickly, whether it’s the morning on Kern Street downtown or the vineyard less than 10 miles away that closes at dusk.

Producers come from all walks of life, as do consumers, and they are all looking for farm-to-table fresh produce, from fruits and vegetables to jams and affordable grass-fed beef.

Fresno, a three-hour drive from San Francisco and Los Angeles, feels more like Middle America than the world-famous big cities that anchor the nation’s most populous state.

Agriculture is its primary source of income, and Fresno County has consistently been one of the largest sources of income. agricultural producers in the world.

But neither Fresno County nor its namesake city is attracting much attention from people running for president of the United States.

“I haven’t seen enough from either candidate. It’s like they don’t see us, they don’t care about us,” said Andre Smith, 60, who was recently selling groceries at a downtown market.

A project manager for a nonprofit that teaches agriculture to black youth, Smith said he is concerned about high food and gas prices. But all he hears from politicians are promises that he doesn’t know whether to believe. “I want to know: Can they deliver what they promise? Both sides can lie. Do they care about me or themselves?”

Fresno is a blue city in a red county in a blue state. Both the city and county are plagued by low voter turnout—and a combination of apparent political partisanship and a lack of enthusiasm has taken the region off most political routes.

The closest this region has seen to a candidate was when Republicans Donald Trump partner JD Vance stayed overnight in Fresno (and was spotted jogging the next day) in late July to attend a big fundraiser an hour away in Coalinga.

Presidential candidates come to California only to raise money and then spend it in battleground states, he noted. Ken GoldsteinProfessor of Political Science at the University of San Francisco in Washington, DC.

Fresno voters “are very good people, but there is no strategic need to talk to them,” Goldstein said, adding that anyone can be politically active by participating in phone banks or volunteering in battleground states.

However, Fresno County itself is pretty purple, said James CasCounty Clerk and Registrar of Voters. During the official voter count in September, about 195,000 local voters were registered as Democrats and more than 167,000 as Republicans, along with 105,000 independents, he said.

Typically, far fewer people vote than register. During the state’s primary election in March, just 156,425 voters, or 31%, turned out.

“It wasn’t a record low, but it was just a little bit,” Kas said. “It makes November even more interesting. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t get a big turnout.”

But Kas Smith said he would like to see the area receive more national political attention.

“We understand that we are the agricultural heart of this country,” he said, “but I have also heard that we are thought of as an afterthought and that our concerns are not necessarily recognized politically at the national level.”

“Trying to find out what the truth is”

Observing the few boxes of sweet potatoes he had left, Smith said it was a good day at the farmers market.

Smith is the project manager for the West Fresno Family Resource Center’s nonprofit Sweet Potato Project, which operates a 2-acre sweet potato farm about 10 minutes from the market. Sales at $1 a pound or $32 a box help keep the project funded and continue to encourage teens to stay in school, stay off drugs and stay away from gangs.

Smith, a lifelong Fresno resident and retired real estate investor with 10 adult children, is confident he can share his wisdom with his children.

However, he still has not decided who to support for the presidency.

“Don’t stereotype me,“he said, for not supporting a Democrat Kamala Harris because she is black, just like him. By not coming to the region, Harris and Trump missed an opportunity to hear local concerns and encourage local voters to go to the polls, Smith said.

Smith wants to make sure the kids he mentors, “those who already have difficult lives,” get the proper education and support they deserve. And he worries about his sons, a 24-year-old Army sergeant and a 19-year-old he hopes won’t join the military after his older brother.

“I think about them and their future all the time,” Smith said. “I always ask myself, where will we be in four months, four years?”

Slowly we get to our feet

While searching for fresh fruits and vegetables at the Vineyard Farmers’ Market, Leah Shubin’s young sons vie for her attention to eat another seasonal grape from the vine she just purchased.

“The prices here are much better than at the grocery store,” said Shubin, a housewife from the nearby rural Madera Ranch. “We want our boys to eat well.”

Shubin, 27, believes Trump will be able to put more money in her pocket if he is re-elected.

She estimates she and her husband, Kyle, 34, spend about $100 more on each grocery trip than they did a year ago.

They’re keeping a close eye on their expenses, especially after Kyle, a cybersecurity consultant, was laid off from his job earlier this year. “It was a difficult period,” she said. A middle-class couple was forced to cut their expenses and prematurely sell a second home, which they had hoped to renovate and use as another source of income.

Shubin paused briefly and took a deep breath as her children asked for more grapes. Luckily, Kyle found another job in cybersecurity, Shubin said, and the family is “slowly getting back on their feet.”

“God provides and we just trust Him,” Shubin said.

She believes Trump is a “hard-nosed businessman” who deserves another chance to become president. She believes Trump can help “restart the economy,” which she believes will add more jobs and improve overall stability across the country, even in rural areas.

Well aware that voter turnout in the district is typically low, Shubin hopes local voters will show up on Election Day “no matter what side of the political spectrum” they are on.

“You really can’t complain if you don’t vote.”

I’m not going to stop me from voting for whoever I want.

Farmer Gianni Raines is well aware that he has a different way of thinking than most, even when it comes to his thoughts on politics.

Owner Zone 9: Farms there is no traditional stand with large ripe fruits and vegetables. Instead, at the Vineyard Farmers Market, Raines sells trays of microgreens, edible seedlings of herbs and vegetables that are eaten raw in salads or on sandwiches.

Raines’ greens typically have a 12-day growing cycle, and he sells about 200 trays a week. Some of his most popular microgreens include the very purple Rambo radishes with a strong aftertaste and the cilantro greens that customers like Shubin buy at the stands. Young peppers are also in great demand.

“I can pay my bills and then some,” Raines said as he put his trays in the window and in his pickup truck. “I like to keep things simple.”

Raines believes simplicity applies to his politics. He considers himself a Libertarian, one of the country’s largest independent political parties, and plans to vote for Libertarian Chase Oliver, who receives about 1% of the vote in national polls, including recent report from USA TODAY and Suffolk University..

Raines identifies almost word for word with Oliver’s edict: “Live your life as you see fit. Your body is your body. Your business is your business, and your property is your property.”

He knows his candidate won’t win, “but I don’t care. It won’t stop me from voting for whoever I want.”

While Cus disagrees with Reigns about his vote not counting, he admires Reigns’ spirit.

“Getting voters excited increases turnout,” Kas said, noting California has same-day voter registration so it’s not too late even for unregistered people. “That’s what I want the hardworking people of this county to do: exercise their right to vote,” he said.

Raines said he had the same determination when he entered the agricultural field seven years ago after leaving his nearly decade-long job as an IV technician at a local hospital.

He became interested in micro-gardening after watching YouTube videos and bought several trays and seeds. He likes that he doesn’t need a big farm and grows his crops under fluorescent lighting at home.

“I wanted to see if I could turn this into my own business, be my own boss and make my own decisions,” he said.

Raines is now part of a thriving farmers market run by Felix Muzkiz.

“It’s good to see our producers doing their best,” said Muzkiz, a Harris supporter. “It shows that we can put aside our political or any differences for the common good.”“