Anti-Monopoly Midterm Election Candidates Begin to Emerge

On the right and left, candidates are asking voters to vote on whether big is bad.

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I don’t tend to follow elections, but I’m noticing a trend of candidates who are starting to talk about big business on the campaign trail. What’s interesting is that, like the anti-monopoly movement, it doesn’t break down by party. Here are the candidates I noticed.

• Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate Tom Nelson has talked about why it’s so “crucial to fight corporate power.”

• In his first ad, Ohio Republican J.D. Vance in Ohio called Jeff Bezos and Google members of “the ruling class.”

• South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who is running for reelection in 2022 to the Governor spot, wrote a long blog post attacking meatpacker consolidation.

• Here’s Republican Blake Masters in Arizona, attacking “corporations that have gotten so big they think they are bigger than America."

• Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Lucas Kunce, is pledging to “end monopoly domination of our economy.”

• And here’s Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Dave Muhlbauer, going after meatpackers and “corporate farms.”

Dave Muhlbauer @DaveMuhlbauer

More from @AnkenyAreaDems event yesterday. As a farmer, ag issues are near and dear to my heart. Packing plants are making record profits, consumers are paying double the price they should be paying at the grocery store, and working conditions are horrific. We must do better.

July 11th 2021

14 Retweets36 Likes

• TN-05 District - Odessa Kelly is running in a Democratic primary against incumbent Jim Cooper. In this case, both Kelly and Cooper were effusive in praise of the executive order against monopolies.

  Odessa Kelly @OdessaKellyTN

  Good. Working people's power starts by limiting the power of corporations.

  The New York Times @nytimes

  President Biden will sign a sweeping executive order on Friday designed to increase competition and limit the power of large corporations across a wide range of industries including agriculture, health care and technology. https://t.co/sYYlO07c5L

  July 9th 2021

  3 Retweets21 Likes

  Jim Cooper @repjimcooper

  YES. This executive order will help everything – from free and open internet access, to protecting workers from noncompete clauses, to allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter, to making prescription drugs more affordable – for EVERYONE.

  President Biden @POTUS

  Tune in as I deliver remarks and sign an executive order on promoting competition in the American economy. https://t.co/gYwI2vgkAA

  July 9th 2021

  4 Retweets11 Likes

I’m sure I’m missing a bunch of candidates. If you know of anyone talking about market power and big business on the campaign trail, leave a comment with their name and a link to what they said.