Two Republican candidates running for the state House in a western Arizona legislative district said in a debate on Aug. 26 that they support President Donald Trump’s short-term plan to flood the market with imported ground beef to lower prices and rebuild cattle herds.
Mike Gannuscio, the former president of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association who is running for one of two seats in Legislative District 30, said herds are down to a 70-year low and ranchers who are suffering financially are selling their heifers, or females, and not replacing them for breeding.
“The problem isn’t what’s coming in, it’s what we’re not producing,” Gannuscio said. “And the president’s trying to bring that beef in, and make it easier for ranchers to retain their heifers and grow their ranches bigger.”
He said to “bring it in” but make sure the meat is tested.
Republican House candidate David Rose
Gannuscio’s fellow Republican, David Rose, agreed. He said he stands by Trump’s short-term policy of lowering tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of ground beef, or 661 million pounds. The typical American consumes almost 60 pounds of ground beef per year, according to Farm Progress, a farm information publication.
“It’s supply and demand, and there’s always a major demand for great meat,” Rose said.
The lone Democrat in the House race, Brian McMahan, said bringing in meat at a lower price from outside the country “does nobody any good.”
Their comments, which came in a debate sponsored by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, are crucial in LD30. The district includes La Paz and Mohave counties. Mohave County’s most common type of agricultural operation is beef cattle ranching, according to the University of Arizona’s 2024 County Agricultural Economy Profiles. La Paz County’s beef cattle ranching operations are a fraction of Mohave’s 129 ranches.
Legislative District 30
The candidates’ comments on the beef import are also counter to the beef cattle industry’s position. Four of the nation’s largest livestock organizations sent Trump a letter on Wednesday asking him to reverse course on his 90-day plan, which the groups said sends “a disheartening message to farmers and ranchers across the country.”
The industry groups said beef prices reflect the inflated cost of raising cattle, but ranchers and farmers are starting to see demand that allows them to invest in their operations. Trump’s Aug. 21 announcement has driven cattle “sharply lower and undermines producers at a critical time of year when they are marketing cattle and making herd-building decisions,” the groups said.
McMahan, the former fire chief for Parker and Buckskin fire districts, said the state Legislature needs to step in to help the beef industry, although he didn’t provide any details on what lawmakers can do.
“We need to make sure that we can keep farming in America and in Arizona,” McMahan said.
Republican House candidate Mike Gannuscio
Gannuscio said reopening closed grazing permits and getting the New World screwworm that has infested livestock in Mexico under control will also help lower prices.
Rose said the state needs to revive the farming industry by encouraging students to be farmers and ranchers.
“Those are conversations that need to happen through the Department of Education at the state level and also on federal levels,” Rose said.
The debate covered other ground, including the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which provides public money for students to attend private schools.
As the program has expanded to allow any K-12 student in the state, Republicans and Democrats have feuded over accountability, its size and cost, which is expected to reach $1.2 billion next year. Republicans want the status quo and Democrats are calling for financial guardrails, academic accountability and caps on enrollment.
Wednesday’s discussion centered on what the candidates would do to prevent fraud, waste and abuse in public schools and the ESA program was just as contentious.
“I think it’s very sad that the Legislature has not yet addressed the waste fraud and abuse of the ESA program,” McMahan said. “Buying gift cards, buying custom tires, getting lingerie, there’s no reason that that should go on.”
McMahan said one of the reasons he’s running is because the Legislature has failed to act on the ESA problems.
Rose and Gannuscio said the fact officials were able to catch parents who abused their funds shows there is accountability.
“So anyone that says that there’s not accountability, is being disingenuous,” Rose said.
Democratic House candidate Brian McMahan
McMahan said the Department of Education doesn’t audit invoices less than $2,000, which adds up to millions of dollars.
“That’s the important part, and stop wasting Arizona taxpayers’ money,” McMahan said.
Rose said to prevent fraud and waste of public school money in general, he plans to sponsor legislation to hold school boards accountable, although he didn’t provide details.
The three candidates had similar stances on data centers, which enable cloud computing and storage and advanced automation such as artificial intelligence, smart technology and robotics. But they require a lot of land, water and power, and they cause noise pollution. Communities around the nation have put up a resistance to building them.
Rose and Gannuscio said they want to see data centers generate their own power and water and communities to have a say in where they’re located.
“I don’t think the state should be forcing data centers anywhere,” Rose said. “And so I support local government making those decisions when it comes to data centers.”
McMahan said he wants to see a moratorium on data centers in Arizona until policy on tax incentives, water usage and environmental impact are ironed out.
“What has happened is the technology has driven ahead of the policy, and I think there’s a lot of problems with that,” McMahan said.
Republican Rep. Leo Biasiucci is running uncontested for the district’s state Senate seat.
Voters in the district, which stretches from La Paz County’s southern border to the Utah border in the north, and includes Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City and Kingman, go to the polls on Nov. 3. Early ballots go out on Oct. 7.