Everyone has the same question in the midterms — where's the beef?

Beef prices enter campaign debate

In Mississippi, Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom released a video featuring Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith discussing high beef prices. Hyde-Smith said consumers had many other protein options, according to the clip.

Hyde-Smith’s campaign spokesman, Nathan Calvert, blamed Democrats for rising costs, saying Colom backed policies from the Biden administration that drove inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported ground beef averaged $6.79 per pound last month, up from $5.55 in January 2025.

Republicans target meat choices

Republicans in several races have portrayed Democratic candidates as hostile to meat or local agriculture. In Texas, they cited an old interview in which Senate nominee James Talarico said his campaign for the statehouse was going vegan; he has since eaten barbecue publicly to counter the criticism.

In Colorado’s 8th district, Republican Rep. Gabe Evans is challenging Rutinel, 31. The district includes ranches, dairy farms and meat processing facilities, including JBS Swift headquarters. The conservative media group Daily Wire released undercover footage of a campaign official saying Rutinel eats meat “as little as possible.”

Candidates argue over government policy

Republicans have also criticized Iowa House candidate Lindsay James for supporting “meatless May” in a 2020 Facebook post, and Arizona House candidate Amish Shah for his vegetarianism and animal rights activism. In Iowa, Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson criticized state lawmaker Josh Turek for opposing a proposed ban on selling lab-grown meat.

A political vulnerability for Republicans

Republicans have used meat as a way to question whether Democratic candidates fit local culture and support cattle industries. But high prices have also given Democrats an opening to criticize Republicans, including in Mississippi, where Colom is targeting Hyde-Smith over beef costs.

The issue may matter in Republican-leaning states where Democrats hope to make gains this year. The reporting describes Republicans attacking Democrats over meat while also facing anger from U.S. producers as prices stay high.