By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The fundamental purpose of our marquee advocacy training event, Taking Action for Animals Online, occurring on September 19 and 20, is to support greater political and social engagement by those who care about animals. COVID-19 hasn’t changed a thing in that regard, and TAFA 2020 features one of the strongest speaker and topic rosters in years, with nearly two dozen exciting sessions.

At the HSLF, we’ve consistently pressed presidential contenders and others running for office to present their ideas and their records to us up front, so that we can evaluate their commitments and actions in support of animal protection, and if warranted, endorse their candidacies.

With the presidential election less than four months away, a review of the major candidates’ animal welfare records is warranted. As with every election, for every office, the Humane Society Legislative Fund evaluates candidates based on their records and commitments concerning animal welfare. We do not judge candidates based on their party or positions on any other issues. As the nation’s leading voice in animal protection politics, our goal is to provide an objective, unbiased analysis of candidates. 

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Steve King’s (R-Iowa) cruel tenure in the U.S. Congress will finally come to an end. Yesterday, Iowa Republican voters chose Iowa State Senator Randy Feenstra to represent their party in the General Election—ensuring that Steve King will not return to Washington D.C. as a congressman in 2021. At the time we published this, Feenstra had earned 45 percent of the vote, besting King’s 36 percent. We at the Humane Society Legislative Fund could not be happier. King has been terrible for animals, to be sure.

The 2020 Election could very well spell the end of Rep. Steve King’s (R-Iowa) political career, and as far as we’re concerned, it could not come a moment too soon. When it comes to animal welfare, King is a genuine outlier, and that’s why we’ve made him the focus of the HSLF’s first 2020 election season advertisement. And because of his erratic and contentious public positions, he’s facing serious challengers, who have raised more funds than he has, and seems increasingly vulnerable this year.

From the start, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has pursued its animal protection agenda on a strictly nonpartisan footing, for a simple reason. We are determined to bring both major political parties along for the journey of making our nation a kinder one. The situation demands no less, because as things stand, it’s hard enough for animals, who are distinctively without voice, without votes, and without political resources to defend themselves.