WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has unveiled a new program for candidates running for elected office in 2020. The “Pledge to Equipment Manufacturers” offer all candidates, incumbents as well as challengers, the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the policies that keep equipment manufacturers strong and America exceptional, and express their support for the 2.8 million men and women who manufacture the equipment that builds, powers, and feeds America.

The “Pledge to Equipment Manufacturers” is open to all candidates running for office at the local, state, and federal levels. Up until Election Day, AEM will announce and acknowledge candidates who have taken the pledge and expressed their support for the policies that keep the industry strong. The complete list of candidates who have taken the pledge is available at: www.aem.org/pledge. 

Today, AEM is acknowledging the following candidates for taking the “Pledge to Equipment Manufacturers” and for their commitment to the 2.8 million men and women of the industry. 

  • Representative Colin Allred (Democratic Party), running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Texas’s 32nd Congressional District.
  • Representative Don Bacon (Republican Party), running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Nebraska’s 2nd Cnongressional District.
  • Representative Jim Banks (Republican Party), running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District.
  • Representative Cheri Bustos (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Illinois’s 17th Congressional District.
  • Senator Joni Ernst (Republican Party), running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent the state of Iowa.
  • Representative Ron Estes (Republican), running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Kansas’s 4th Congressional District.
  • Representative Abby Finkenauer (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
  • Michelle Fischbach (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.
  • Representative Bill Foster (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Illinois’s 11th Congressional District. 
  • Representative Josh Gottheimer (Democratic Party), running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent New Jersey's 5th Congressional District.
  • Ashley Hinson (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
  • Dr. Ted Howze (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent California’s 10th Congressional District.
  • Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Mississippi.
  • Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Illinois’s 8th Congressional District.
  • Marianette Miller-Meeks (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
  • Greg Musselwhite (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Florida’s 20th Congressional District.
  • Frank Pallotta (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. 
  • Representative Collin Peterson (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.
  • Dasha Pruett (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District.
  • David Richter (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District.
  • Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District.
  • Susan Smith (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Indiana’s 7th Congressional District.
  • Representative Tom Reed (Republican Party), running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent New York’s 23rd Congressional District.
  • Senator Tom Tillis (Republican Party), running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent the state of North Carolina.
  • Representative David Trone (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. 
  • Representative Susan Wild (Democratic Party) who is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
  • David Young (Republican Party) who is running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.

“Equipment manufacturing is the backbone of the American economy,” said Kip Eideberg, Senior Vice President, Government and Industry Relations at AEM. “Voters are increasingly worried about the future of manufacturing in our country and are looking for candidates to support the policies that will keep our industry strong and America exceptional. That is why we are grateful to these candidates for their leadership and unwavering support for the 2.8 million people who make the equipment that builds, powers, and feeds America.” 

Jobs and the state of the U.S. economy consistently rank as the top issue for voters. And in many parts of the country, family-sustaining jobs and the health of the local economy depend directly on the strength of equipment manufacturing. That is why it is imperative that candidates affirm their support for rebuilding and modernizing our nation’s infrastructure, expanding access to foreign markets for U.S. manufactured good and components, preserve and improve our tax system to promote strong and sustained economic growth, funding programs to attract, train, and retain the next generation workforce, and strengthening rural America.

 If you are a candidate who would like to affirm your support for equipment manufacturers and the 2.8 million men and women of the industry by taking the “Pledge to Equipment Manufacturers,” please contact Megan Evans at mevans@aem.org. 

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 AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year. 

Media Contacts:
David Ward
202-256-6180
dward@aem.org 

Katrina Bishop 
202-285-6224
kbishop@aem.org  

David Ward
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
2022566180
dward@aem.org