Mike Naig

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Mike Naig

|image = Mike Naig USDA photo.jpg

|office = 15th Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa

|governor = Kim Reynolds

|term_start = March 5, 2018

|term_end =

|predecessor = Bill Northey

|successor =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|3|2}}

|birth_place =

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Republican

|spouse = Jamie

|children = 3

|education = Buena Vista University (BA)

}}

Mike Naig (born March 2, 1978) is an American politician in the state of Iowa. A Republican, he is the current Iowa secretary of agriculture. He became the deputy secretary of agriculture in September 2013. After the resignation of Bill Northey, Kim Reynolds appointed Naig to succeed him in March 2018. Naig defeated Tim Gannon in the November 2018 election.

Early life

Naig was born on March 2, 1978.{{cite news |author=Swoboda |first=Rod |date=March 2, 2018 |title=Mike Naig named new Iowa AG secretary |work=Wallaces Farmer |url=https://www.wallacesfarmer.com/agenda/mike-naig-named-new-iowa-ag-secretary |accessdate=November 28, 2018}} He grew up on a family farm near Cylinder, Iowa. He graduated from Emmetsburg High School in 1996 and attended Buena Vista University, graduating in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in biology and political science.{{cite news |date=March 26, 2018 |title=Longtime deputy steps up as secretary of agriculture |url=http://www.nwestiowa.com/news/longtime-deputy-steps-up-as-secretary-of-agriculture/article_680ed944-310f-11e8-b12a-43627d5f9d15.html |accessdate=November 28, 2018 |publisher=N'west Iowa Review}}

Political career

Naig spent 13 years working in the agriculture industry, serving in various trade organizations. In September 2013, he became the deputy secretary of agriculture for the state of Iowa, serving under then-Iowa agriculture secretary Bill Northey.{{cite news |last1=Shanahan |first1=Julia |date=October 21, 2018 |title=Mike Naig eyes full term as Iowa secretary of agriculture |newspaper=The Daily Iowan |url=https://dailyiowan.com/2018/10/21/mike-naig-eyes-full-term-as-iowa-state-secretary-of-agriculture/ |accessdate=April 22, 2020}} He served in this role until March 2018, when Northey was appointed Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the United States Department of Agriculture, at which point governor Kim Reynolds appointed Naig as Iowa secretary of agriculture to fill the vacancy left by Northey.{{cite news |date=September 25, 2018 |title=Mike Naig talks tariffs and other issues in Muscatine |work=Quad-City Times |url=https://qctimes.com/muscatine/news/local/mike-naig-talks-tariffs-and-other-issues-in-muscatine/article_eb5d1b70-a426-57f4-9a58-54b85c277c10.html |accessdate=November 17, 2018}}

Naig won election to a full term as Iowa secretary of agriculture in November 2018, defeating Democratic challenger Tim Gannon 50% to 47%.{{cite news |last=Eller |first=Donnelle |date=November 5, 2018 |title=Backed by Farm Bureau, Republican Mike Naig defeats Democrat Tim Gannon to win Iowa AG secretary post |work=The Des Moines Register |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/05/iowa-election-2018-results-secretary-agriculture-mike-naig-tim-gannon-pork-dairy-farm-policy-trade/1732653002/ |accessdate=November 28, 2018}} During the primary, he received 34.7 percent of the vote, beating fellow Republican Dan Zumbach but not receiving enough votes to automatically secure the party's nomination.{{Cite news |last=Donnelle |first=Eller |date=June 6, 2016 |title=Mike Naig just misses 35 percent of vote, so GOP leaders will choose AG secretary candidate |work=The Des Moines Register |url=https://eu.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/06/iowa-primary-2018-election-results-secretary-agriculture-naig-republican-zumbach-northey/676484002/ |access-date=October 30, 2022}} In the election, Naig received the backing of the Farm Bureau as well as companies like John Deere and Monsanto.

In the 2022 election, Naig ran for reelection against Democrat John Norwood.{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Erin |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Meet the candidates for Iowa agriculture secretary |work=The Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.com/campaigns-elections/meet-the-candidates-for-iowa-agriculture-secretary/ |access-date=October 30, 2022}} He has often spoken in favor of biofuels to combat climate change, rather than switching to electric vehicles.{{Cite news |date=October 6, 2022 |title=What Iowa AG secretary candidates Mike Naig & John Norwood say about eminent domain, ethanol |work=The Des Moines Register |url=https://eu.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/06/iowa-secretary-agriculture-candidates-mike-naig-john-norwood-midterm-elections-2022/10399071002/ |access-date=August 30, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Lynch |first=James Q |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Iowa AG secretary sees farmers as part of climate change solution |work=The Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/iowa-ag-secretary-sees-farmers-as-part-of-climate-change-solution/ |access-date=August 30, 2022}} Naig defeated Norwood.{{cite web|url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/11/09/mike-naig-wins-second-term-as-iowas-agriculture-secretary-election-2022/69612996007/ |title=Mike Naig reelected as Iowa's agriculture secretary in Election 2022 |publisher=Desmoinesregister.com |date=November 9, 2022 |accessdate=November 13, 2022}}

Personal life

Naig and his wife, Jaime, have three sons.{{cite web|url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2022/10/30/mike-naig-iowa-secretary-agriculture-republican/69594873007/ |title=Mike Naig: I'm hard at work expanding markets and conservation |publisher=Desmoinesregister.com |date=October 30, 2022 |accessdate=November 13, 2022}}

Electoral History

{{Election box begin no change

|title=Iowa Secretary of Agriculture election, 2022{{cite web|url=https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/2022/general/canvsummary.pdf|title=Iowa Secretary of State General Election 2022 Canvass Summary Secretary of Agriculture|pages=54–63|website=sos.iowa.gov|access-date=March 24, 2025}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Mike Naig (incumbent)

|party = Republican Party of Iowa

|votes = 730,285

|percentage = 61.13%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = John Norwood

|party = Iowa Democratic Party

|votes = 463,652

|percentage = 38.81%

}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change|

|votes = 770

|percentage = 0.06%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 1,194,707

| percentage = 100.00%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change|

|winner = Republican Party of Iowa

}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Iowa Secretary of Agriculture election, 2018{{cite web|url=https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/2018/general/canvsummary.pdf|title=Iowa Secretary of State General Election 2018 Canvass Summary Secretary of Agriculture|pages=44–53|website=sos.iowa.gov|access-date=March 24, 2025}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Mike Naig (incumbent)

| party = Republican Party of Iowa

| votes = 651,552

| percentage = 50.3%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Tim Gannon

| party = Iowa Democratic Party

| votes = 602,916

| percentage = 46.6%