Republicans keep bowing to Big Corn. Big Corn keeps buying Democrats

Few industries have become more untouchable in Washington than the ethanol industry. Republicans regularly promote ethanol in the name of American energy and agriculture; Democrats receive more industry support in competitive races.What started as a plan to make ethanol cheaper through government incentives has become a highly complicated process few understand, with a politically powerful lobby behind it.Ethanol was originally introduced to gasoline as the United States phased out lead and as a potential octane booster. During the 1980s, Congress passed tax incentives and subsidies to increase ethanol production. Congress considered killing the ethanol subsidy in 1995, but lobbying from Sen. Bob Dole prevented it. U.S. reliance on ethanol exploded in the 2000s, when Congress passed the Renewable Fuel Standard. That requires refiners and fuel importers to increase the number of renewable fuels blended into the nation’s transportation fuel supply. These subsidies and incentives helped the industry grow from producing 50 million gallons per year in 1980 to 16.4 billion last year.The industry could see additional growth in the coming years — due to new regulations from the Trump administration. The White House announced changes to the RFS last spring that set new requirements on how oil and gas companies buy and blend ethanol. The EPA also set the highest blending mandates in the program’s history, requirements refiners say they cannot meet and that have pushed fuel costs higher for Americans. The administration also backs year-round sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, which can cause environmental damage and damage to certain engines.Republicans may be delivering victories for ethanol’s policy priorities. When it comes to control of Congress, the industry’s contributions go elsewhere.Big picture-wise, the money looks even if not Republican-leaning. In the midterm elections, the National Corn Growers Association PAC donated $340,500 to Republicans in 2024, compared to $170,500 for Democrats. POET PAC — created by the world’s largest biofuels producer — donated $251,500 to GOP candidates and $124,500 to Democratic candidates.Growth Energy PAC gave $257,000 to Republicans and $168,000 to Democrats.But a deep dive into campaign finance donations shows that the biofuel industry supports Democrats over Republicans in swing states when push comes to shove.When Republicans attempted to capture Senate seats in Michigan and Minnesota in 2020, they found no help from renewable energy PACs. All three groups donated to Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) in Minnesota, while Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) received money from POET and Growth Energy.The same thing happened four years later. With big races in Arizona, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, the renewable energy PACs supported Democrats over Republicans by a wide margin. While POET PAC donated to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) in 2024, they gave twice as much to Democratic opponent Sherrod Brown. Not only that, but the Moreno donation came more than a week after he was declared the winner.This year’s midterm elections remain no different. The NCGA donated to $156,000 to Dems, while Growth Energy PAC has donated over $218,000 to Democrats in 2025 and 2026. POET PAC has donated $175,000 to Dems with the Broin family personally donating over $35,000 to Democrats, including $20,000 to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) PAC and $7,000 to Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN). As for the Republicans the industry does support, they tend to be more popular longtime incumbents, including Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). Both have been in office for decades and faced little to no competition in elections.UPWARD PRESSURE ON GAS PRICES ISN’T JUST IRAN, BUT A MANDATE CLOSER TO HOMEIt seems counterproductive, not to mention counterintuitive, for Republicans to continue to support the ethanol industry. This isn’t a situation where GOP elected officials worry about upsetting the White House. Ethanol lobbyists successfully found which Republicans had both the incentives and power to protect the industry.The problem isn’t that self-described free marketers vote for ethanol anyway. It’s that not one of them will ask the obvious question: Why is the government propping up this industry at all, 45 years and billions of gallons later? Until someone does, ethanol stays untouchable.Taylor Millard is a freelance journalist who lives in Virginia. Follow him on X @TaylorMillard.