and joining us now on the patriot mobile newsmaker line is a republican candidate for congress from the ninth district of florida his name is ben butler you learn more at butler for florida dot com mister butler jeff stein filling in for todd starrens how are you today
hey good morning jeff great to come at you from the free state of florida
absolutely sir and i i have to tell you i've looked a bit at your bio you run a
dairy and cattle operation.
That's no easy feat these days.
You've got a great life.
You've got a wonderful family.
Why in the blazes would you run for Congress?
I've been at that many times since I've started this campaign.
Ultimately, when our state redrew our congressional lines, and this
is
an opportunity
for
us to
flip a congressional seat from blue to red and uh so knowing that republicans want to win this one started looking around and realized we need more common sense in dc and i couldn't find anybody that's gonna take that common sense away i felt the calling and we jumped in and it has been uh been a quite a ride here for the last two and a half months on this primary campaign trail
what surprised you the most so far in talking with voters or running a campaign
well
There's a lot.
And that's multiple questions there.
But in talking to voters, I guess it hadn't been a surprise.
The number one issue has been affordability.
And so I'm a strong believer that our federal government has got to shrink.
And it's going to take that common sense to value these things that we've learned on the farm.
The fact that you've got to fix the problem.
You can't wait around.
You can't belabor it.
The problem needs to be fixed.
Our federal government spending needs to be fixed because
it
has contributed to our inflation.
So that's been the number one issue that I'm hearing from folks around.
So as a congressman from Florida, what do you think you're going to be able to offer to get these folks who are kind of stuck in the swamp to get them to change their ways?
Because we didn't get here all at once.
It's going to take a while to turn it around.
But what can you offer
that will help get us in the right direction?
Well, it's a great question.
So as a farmer, we find, as a commodity producer, we're price takers.
And so really, what we can control at our level is we control our expenses.
And that's what I'll bring to the table, the ability to sort through, to find common sense, to use common sense.
and to limit what we do at a federal government.
I bring a perspective coming from agriculture, but it is the skills that we've learned, the skills that I've learned in, again, in controlling expenses, whether it be managing the payroll, managing the land to survive, or just the regulations that we deal with.
There are lots of opportunity to create more efficiencies and reduce expenses.
And that's what I'll bring to the table.
Ben Butler is our guest.
Butlerforflorida.com is the website.
This is the ninth congressional district.
The primary is a week from tomorrow, August 18th.
He joins us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.
Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on the star and show today.
This is a crowded primary.
How are things shaping up in terms of your common sense and your background as opposed to these other folks?
Well, it is a crowded primary.
There are seven Republicans that we're all buying for it.
Our story is resonating.
Got a couple of cell funders in the race.
We've not.
We've been raising everything organically through contributions, trying to use those resources to get our story out.
And it's resonating.
We finally saw some polling late last week that says we've got a four-way tie.
the top of the ticket here with about 40% of folks still undecided.
So we've got some opportunity.
It's exciting for us.
And, you know, we're going to continue here in this last week and a half of just continue to get our story out
and
let our electorate know that, you know, it's time that we get a farmer up to DC.
Well, amen to that.
I come from Iowa.
And so you can imagine how I felt when the farm bill fell apart in the Senate the other day.
We'll get to that in a moment.
So I'm looking at your website and you're promoting Second Amendment rights.
That's not the first time you've held a firearm, sir.
I can tell from this photo.
Hey, let me tell you, and then we shot a video and I'm proud to say we did four takes and and I hit that clay every four calls.
So I just wish it was caught on video for the for the ad that we put together.
But no, it's I know.
Jeff, I'm absolutely, um, of course, growing up in rural America, you own firearms, um, but, uh, but as an American, I own firearms just for my own peace and protection and the safety for my family.
And
it's something that I hope I never have to use, but it is our second amendment, right?
And I fully believe in it and I will defend it to the end.
Okay.
You don't need my help, but you know, go shoot another ad, go shoot another ad and label one of the clays, uh,
deficits.
Another one.
You get the idea here.
Here's Butler and he's just shooting these things like it's nothing and he'll do the same in Washington.
That's free.
You can have that all you
want.
Help us understand because again I've been whining about the farm situation and because again I think there are too many people in Washington frankly across the country who think food comes from the grocery store.
Well, it doesn't.
What can you do to help make this an industry that can continue on to the next generation?
I see from the website, your daughter is involved with things like FFA and 4-H.
How do you keep this thing going?
It's tough these days.
It's tough.
It's tough.
And as a farmer, one of the biggest challenges that we face is
keeping our farms sustainable so they'll pass to the next generation.
And, you know, as a farmer, it's not just my choice, it's my daughter's choice to want to continue the farm on.
So we've got to provide things that, you know, that encourage our next generation to want to keep farming.
When they look around and they see the struggles that their parents are going through,
whether it be just struggles just to pay in the bills or make and payroll.
You know, of course, if farming is not, we rely upon mother nature for a lot of things.
It's not easy.
It's not for sissy.
But, you know, too many times the next generation sees other opportunities off the farm where they think it's,
you
know, it's, there's other ways to make a living.
But I'll tell you, Jeff, there's not more rewarding than actually working the soil.
working with God's creatures with animals
and
helping to
produce
food.
It doesn't happen magically.
That's right.
It doesn't just show up in the grocery store.
You know, it's kind of funny when, you know, in Florida, we deal with hurricanes.
And,
you
know, when you lead up to the hurricane, just like I've never been in snow, but I've heard the stories that, you know, one of the first things to sell out is milk and bread in the store.
And but as soon as everything clears up, as soon as the hurricane passes, that milk and bread is back in the store.
That doesn't happen magically.
That's because your farmers are working through that hurricane to make sure as soon as it opens back up, it's there.
So I don't know that our farmers get enough credit for what they do in producing food and the struggles that they work through.
And you brought up the farm bill.
I mean, that's where the farm bill comes in.
The farm bill's not to keep our farmers propped up.
The Farm Bill is to make sure that we've got safe, affordable food supply for every American.
That is the purpose, and it doesn't get talked about enough.
When that fell apart in the Senate, it's a little disappointing.
Hopefully they'll be able to take it up in this session.
If not, I stand ready to take it up next year around.
If somebody doesn't print t-shirts that says, farming, it's not for sissies.
then they're missing an opportunity.
I made a note of that the moment you said it.
You've got some nice endorsements on the website, people that I've talked to on Todd's program before in the past as the audiences would be familiar as well, but I got 60 seconds and I'm going to let you make your case.
Why should Floridians vote for you in the primary 49th district a week from tomorrow?
Well, not deaf.
I appreciate it.
Ultimately, this campaign comes back, it's why I jumped in.
We've
got enough lawyers and career politicians in DC where we don't have enough of, or people who have actually had to produce something, people who had to make a payroll.
They've had to manage the land and survive the bad years, and then they have to live with the consequences of government decisions.
I'm running to take those common sense values to DC.
Washington, they got enough people to know how to write a regulation.
They just need more people that know what it costs to live under regulation.
And
that's been one of my big talking points throughout the campaign.
And I'll end it with this.
We can't, on a farm, I've learned that I can't spend my way out of every problem.
I've learned that I can't borrow forever and that excuses don't get the work done.
We need more of that in DC, and that's why we say it's time to send a farmer to Washington.
Butler for florida.com is the website.
If you like what you heard and you'd like to help him out, there's a nice subtle donate button at the top of the web page.
Ben Butler, good luck a week from tomorrow.
I've enjoyed the conversation and let's get some more people who know how to drive a tractor down Capitol Hill in Washington.
There you go.
Drive a tractor and milk a cow.
Thank you, Jeff.
All right, take good care, sir.
Appreciate it.
Ben Butler, he's running for Congress, seven-person race, Republican, Florida's ninth district, and the primary is a week from tomorrow.
He joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.