Farmer and Strategist Brian Reisinger: Politicians, Pay Attention to Rural America

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Brian Reisinger has worked for a governor who ran for president, a U.S. Senator who ran for president, and another U.S. Senator who thought about running for president. These days, Reisinger has put politics aside as he has focused full-time on agriculture, his business, and his young family.

It’s those most recent priorities that guide him to offer this free advice for politicians in 2026: focus more on the needs of rural families in the United States as we approach the November midterm elections.

“You know, this theme plays out so many times in our modern news cycle,” Reisinger told American Farmland Owner.

That theme he mentioned has become more evident as he talks to farmers and agricultural groups about what he learned as he wrote “Land Rich, Cash Poor,” which just debuted in paperwork.

RELATED: Reisinger talked to American Farmland Owner in late 2024 about the rapid decline in the number of family farmers in the United States.

“It also played out in ‘Land Rich, Cash Poor’ time and again as I was doing research, which is just the question of: Are our political parties going be operating in a way where you can see they understand what’s actually happening on an economic level in our rural communities?” Reisinger asked.

It’s a fair question, and one that feels more urgent this year.

Brian Reisinger bio:

• Author – “Land Rich, Cash Poor”

• Family farmer – Sauk County, Wisconsin

• Founder & President – Hilltop Strategies

• Former Senior Staff Reporter – Nashville Business Journal

• Former Reporter – Wausau Daily Herald

• Former Senior Advisor – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

• Former Communications Director – Ron Johnson for U.S. senate in Wisconsin

Struggles of Family Farmers

Farmers and landowners are navigating a complicated moment. Input costs remain stubbornly high. Commodity prices have been volatile. Interest rates are reshaping land values and operating loans. And beneath it all is a sense that the broader economic narrative often misses the struggles and unique needs of rural life.

Reisinger is watching closely—not just what politicians say, but also where they put their focus.

“And so, I’m watching for that all the time,” he said. “And if the GOP is distracted with whatever the big picture controversy is, either of their own making, or of provocation from the other side, or a global event, or whatever…the GOP's stuck talking about that, rather than saying, here's what we're doing economically… you know, in Sauk County, Wisconsin.”

That disconnect, he argued, could matter more than any single policy proposal.

Challenge for Republicans and Democrats

Because in rural communities, politics isn’t theoretical. It’s practical. It’s about whether there’s a market for your crop. Whether your land taxes are going up. Whether your kids can afford to stay or feel like they must leave.

Reisinger sees a similar risk for Democrats.

“If the Democrats are running on social issues that tie back to their party's base nationally, but don't really have… even if people have an opinion on it…it's not really something that someone cares about when they're trying to get their kids out the door into the school bus, in a local rural community, I think that's going say a lot,” Reisinger said.

His illustration is a reminder that for many rural voters, the stakes are immediate and local. Big-picture debates often take a backseat to everyday realities.

And yet, those everyday realities are deeply tied to national policy.

Needs of Rural Americans

From farm bill negotiations to trade dynamics, from energy policy to interest rates, decisions made in Washington ripple quickly through the countryside. But Reisinger suggested that message isn’t always breaking through in a way that resonates with voters.

“So, the midterm election is… probably going to be challenging for the GOP from a structural standpoint, because they're the party in power. And that usually means in a midterm, it's going to be an uphill climb,” he said. “Doesn't mean they have to lose… we don't know. It's going to be an uphill climb.”

History backs that up. The party in power typically faces headwinds in midterms. But Reisinger is less interested in the horse race and more focused on the conversation.

“I think the thing that I'll watch most closely is what kind of conversation are both parties having in our rural communities,” he said. “I think that's going to say a lot.”

It’s a conversation that has shifted before and could again.

“Rural communities powered the GOP's victories and can therefore be the things that… the Democrats can ease them back on,” Reisinger noted. “You know, it powered them in these battleground states…Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania.”

Those states—and others like Iowa—will once again be central to the political map this fall.

“And there's a lot of other key political states, like Iowa, where… what's going on in our rural communities matters a lot more than I think the national media necessarily grasps,” he said.

The issues aren’t abstract. They’re measured in bushels, basis points, and balance sheets. They’re felt in land auctions and loan renewals. And increasingly, they’re shaping how rural voters evaluate the people asking for their support.