By Cannabis Money Backed Losing Candidates
Nearly every Republican member of Congress whose reelection campaign was supported by marijuana industry donations funneled through a Trump-linked political action committee lost their race in last week’s midterm elections. The PAC, America First Agriculture Action Inc., spent more than $4 million in marijuana industry money to support several GOP lawmakers in tough reelection fights.
Some of the U.S.’s largest cannabis companies donated a collective $11.5 million to the PAC in June, according to a review of Federal Election Commission filings. The contributions came from Trulieve Inc., Curaleaf Inc., Verano Holdings LLC and Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc., along with other entities tied to Green Thumb Industries and AYR Wellness Inc.
Those donations brought the total amount of contributions from cannabis businesses or an industry-linked political action committee to Trump-linked PACs to at least $15.05 million. All but one of the embattled Republicans supported by the cannabis industry funds lost their seats, while one race remains uncalled.
The PAC used the funds to send direct mail pieces and run ads touting the voting records of the incumbent GOP lawmakers without mentioning cannabis at all. The spots instead noted, for example, that the candidates voted to ban insider trading by members of Congress and supported tax cuts.
Most of the members supported with the marijuana business money were first sworn into Congress in 2023 or 2025 and have no cannabis-related voting record.
Longer Serving Members Opposed Reform
Three of the supported lawmakers Fitzpatrick, Perry and Steil have been in Congress longer, beginning in 2017, 2013 and 2019, respectively. In 2020 and 2022, all three voted against Democratic-led bills to federally legalize marijuana.
Kiggans voted against legislation to legalize cannabis as a Virginia state senator. MacKenzie voted against legalizing medical cannabis in Pennsylvania in 2016 as a member of the state House of Representatives.
Ciscomani reportedly cheered the defeat of a marijuana legalization ballot initiative in Arizona in 2016, calling it an “awesome victory for our community.”
Lawmaker said during a September debate with his ultimately successful Democratic opponent that the legalization of cannabis is “hurting” society. He also said last year that it would be “wrong” for the Trump administration to reschedule cannabis, claiming that “marijuana is a gateway drug.”
Lawler is additionally a cosponsor of a bill that would continue to block marijuana businesses from taking federal tax deductions under IRS code 280E, even under rescheduling.
Party Remains Hostile to Reform
Although Trump’s administration has taken steps to federally reschedule marijuana, Republican congressional leadership and many members of the party’s House and Senate conferences remain openly hostile to cannabis reform.
The GOP-controlled House Appropriations Committee this year voted to block federal officials from taking further steps to carry out cannabis rescheduling.
The only two times Congress has considered marijuana legalization legislation on the floor was under Democratic control in 2020 and 2022, via the bills that Fitzpatrick, Perry and all but a handful of Republicans voted against.
