Animals emerged as unexpected beneficiaries of the recent midterm elections, with voters in several key areas supporting animal welfare initiatives and rejecting measures perceived as harmful to wildlife and farmed animals. Ballots addressed issues ranging from the sale of foie gras to the definition of hunting practices and the confinement of livestock.
In Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, voters decisively approved measures to ban the sale of foie gras, a delicacy produced by force-feeding ducks. The D.C. initiative passed with 73 percent of the vote, while Denver saw 66 percent support. These votes align with similar bans enacted in California, Pittsburgh, New York City, and Portland, Oregon, and add to a growing international trend, with over 20 European countries and Brazil having already banned its production or sale.
Colorado voters also rejected a constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 83, which sought to enshrine the right to hunt and fish using "traditional methods." Animal welfare advocates argued that this phrasing could have legalized practices like poisoning and the use of leg-hold traps, which are currently banned in the state. Rebecca Niemiec, co-director of Colorado State University’s Animal-Human Policy Center, noted that such methods can harm unintended wildlife and that the amendment could have prioritized hunting and fishing over other wildlife management strategies.
Beyond ballot measures, the elections saw the defeat of two prominent politicians who had actively supported the factory farming industry. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), both of whom introduced legislation like the Save Our Bacon Act aimed at overturning state-level animal welfare laws regarding cage confinement for hens and pigs, lost their respective races. Their efforts to insert such measures into the Farm Bill may face diminished prospects with Democrats gaining control of Congress.
Conversely, a pro-animal welfare candidate, Manny Rutinel, a Democrat, won a congressional seat in Colorado's Eighth District, defeating incumbent Rep. Gabe Evans. Rutinel previously worked as an attorney advocating against pollution from meat companies.
However, not all animal welfare or agriculture reform candidates were successful. Chris Jones, a candidate for Iowa's agriculture secretary who ran on a platform of addressing pollution from industrial agriculture, narrowly lost his election. His campaign highlighted the environmental impact of the state's hog, egg, and ethanol industries on local waterways and potential links to rising cancer rates.
These election outcomes suggest a growing public concern for animal welfare, even when it is not a central focus of major party platforms. The results indicate that voters, when presented with opportunities, often support measures aimed at improving the lives of animals, both wild and domesticated.