Johnathan Walker:These farm country voters wish presidential candidates paid them more attention

FRESNO,Johnathan Walker California ‒ The farmers’ markets, especially on Wednesdays, serve as this city’s town square. Parking lots fill up quickly, whether it’s mornings on Kern Street downtown or at a vineyard less than 10 miles away that closes at dusk.

The growers come from all walks of life, as do the customers, all seeking fresh farm-to-table items from fruits and vegetables to jams and bargain-priced, grass-fed beef.

Three hours from both San Francisco and Los Angeles, Fresno is more reminiscent of Middle America than the globally renowned big cities that anchor the country's most populous state.

Farming is its main source of revenue and Fresno County is consistently one of the largest agricultural producers in the world.

But neither Fresno County nor the city of the same name within it get much attention from people running for U.S. president.

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“I haven’t seen enough from either candidate. It’s almost like they can’t see us, they don’t care about us," said Andre Smith, 60, who was selling produce at the downtown market on a recent day.

A project manager for a nonprofit that teaches Black youths to farm, Smith said he's troubled by high prices for food and gas. But all he hears from politicians are promises he doesn't know whether to believe. "I want to know: Can they deliver on what they promise? Both sides can tell lies. Are they looking out for me, or themselves?"

Fresno is a blue city within a red county in a blue state. Both city and county suffer from low voter turnout ‒ and the combination of clear political allegiances and lack of enthusiasm has left the region off most political itineraries.

The closest the area has seen to a candidate was when Republican Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance stayed overnight in Fresno (and was spotted the next day jogging) in late July to attend a big-money fundraiser an hour away in Coalinga.

Presidential candidates come to California only to raise money and then spend it in the battleground states, noted Ken Goldstein, a Washington, D.C.-based political professor for the University of San Francisco.

Fresno voters "are very nice people but there is zero strategic imperative to talk to them," Goldstein said, adding that anyone can be politically active by participating in phone banks or volunteering in battleground states.

Still, Fresno County itself is quite purple, said James Kus, the County Clerk and Registrar of Voters. During an official voter count in September, nearly 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 are registered. During the state primary in March, just 156,425 voters, or 31% participated. 

“It wasn’t a record low, but only just barely,” Kus said. “That makes November all the more interesting. I will not be surprised if we don’t get a great turnout.”

But Kus, like Smith said, he wishes the area would get more national political attention.

“We realize we’re the agricultural heartbeat of this country," he said, "but I have also heard that we are kind of an afterthought and that our concerns are not necessarily being recognized on the political side nationally.”

‘Trying to find out where the truth lies’

Watching over his few remaining boxes of sweet potatoes, Smith said it had been a good day at the farmer's market.

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

A lifelong Fresno resident and retired real estate investor with 10 adult children, Smith is certain he can share his wisdom with the kids. 

Yet he remains undecided about who to support for president.

“Don’t stereotype me,” he said, for not backing Democrat Kamala Harris because she’s Black like him. By not coming to the region, Smith said Harris and Trump missed an opportunity to hear local concerns and entice local voters to go to the polls.

Smith wants to make sure the kids he mentors, “those who already have challenging lives,” get the proper education and support they deserve. And he's worried for his own sons, a 24-year-old Army sergeant and a 19-year-old he hopes won't follow his older brother into the military.

“I constantly think about them and their futures,” Smith said. “I’m always asking myself where will we be four months, four years from now?”  

 Slowly getting back on their feet 

Scouring for fresh fruit and vegetables at the Vineyard Farmers Market, Leah Shubin’s young sons vie for her attention to eat another in-season grape off a vine she just bought.

“The prices here are way better than the grocery store,” said Shubin, a stay-at-home mom from nearby rural Madera Ranchos. “We want to make sure our boys eat good food.” 

Shubin, 27, believes Trump can put more money in her pocket if he’s reelected.

She estimates she and her husband Kyle, 34, spend roughly $100 more on each grocery trip compared to a year ago. 

They closely monitor what they spend, especially since Kyle, a cybersecurity consultant, was laid off from his job earlier this year. “It was a rough stretch,” she said. The middle-class couple was forced to tighten their expenses and prematurely sell a second house they had hoped to fix up and use as another source of income.

Shubin briefly paused and took a deep breath while her kids begged for more grapes. Luckily, Kyle has found another cybersecurity job, Shubin said and the family is “slowly getting back on our feet.” 

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

She believes Trump “is a dogged businessman” who deserves another chance to be president. She thinks Trump can help “kickstart the economy,” which she contends will add more jobs and more overall stability across the country, even in rural areas.

Keenly aware of the county’s typically low voter turnout, Shubin hopes area voters turn out on Election Day “no matter what side of the political aisle” they’re on.

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

Not going to stop me from voting for who I want

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

The owner of Zone 9 Farms doesn’t have a traditional stand full of big ripe fruits and vegetables. Instead, at the Vineyard Farmers Market, Raines sells trays of microgreens, edible seedlings of herbs and veggies, eaten raw in salads or on sandwiches.  

Raines’ greens usually have a 12-day growing cycle and he sells about 200 trays a week. Some of his most popular microgreens include a very purple Rambo Radish with a strong afterbite and Cilantro greens that customers like Shubin buy by the tray. Baby peppers are also big sellers.

“I can pay my bills and then some,” said Raines, displaying his trays on display and in his pickup. “I like to keep things simple.”

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

Raines identifies with Oliver’s edict almost verbatim: “Live your own 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’s not going to stop me from voting for who I want.”

While Kus disagrees with Raines about his vote not counting, he does admire Raines’ spirit. 

“Getting voters excited increases turnout,” said Kus, noting that California has same-day voter registration, so it's not too late even for people who aren't registered. “That’s what I want the hard-working residents in this county to do: Exercise their right to vote,” he said.

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

He became fascinated with micro-greening after watching a YouTube video and bought some trays and seeds. He likes that he doesn’t need a big farm, growing his crops with fluorescent lighting at his house.

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

Now, Raines is part of a thriving farmer's market, managed by Felix Muzquiz.

"It’s beautiful to see that our growers are putting their best foot forward,” said Muzquiz, a Harris supporter. “It shows that we can put aside our political or any differences for the greater good."