U.S. House · New York's 22nd District
Kailee Buller
Former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of AgricultureRC
- Race
- U.S. House · New York's 22nd District
- Result
- John Mannion, projected winner
- Opponent
- John Mannion (D, WFP)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did3 statements · 0 votes
She will fight to get law enforcement the funding, training, and tools they need to do their jobs effectively and keep our community safe.
Increase police funding and staffing
Compare statements with votes ›Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Supports repealing New York's climate mandates and advancing an "all-of-the-above" energy policy, saying state climate policy has driven up utility costs.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Supports policies that encourage housing development, cut regulations and make it easier for first-time buyers to enter the market.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
She will fight to get law enforcement the funding, training, and tools they need to do their jobs effectively and keep our community safe.
Her campaign site says she opposes efforts to defund the police and will work to get law enforcement more funding, training and tools.[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Kailee Buller, an Auburn native and former federal agriculture official who ran as the Republican and Conservative nominee, lost the November 3, 2026 election for U.S. House in New York's 22nd Congressional District to John Mannion. She served as Chief of Staff to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins from January 2025 until February 2026, after leading two food-industry trade associations. Her campaign centered on affordability, energy costs and agriculture.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Buller was born in Auburn, New York, where she grew up in a blue-collar family. According to her campaign website, her father worked 41 years as a correctional officer at Auburn Correctional Facility and her mother is a nurse.[1][5] She earned a bachelor's degree from the University at Buffalo, a B.A. in political science according to USDA, and describes herself as the first in her family to earn a four-year degree. CNYCentral reported that she graduated in 2011 and moved to Washington, D.C., shortly afterward to work at a nonprofit.[4][5][6]
During the first Trump administration, Buller served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and in other leadership roles at USDA. She has also served as President and CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Association and the Edible Oil Producers Association.[4] Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed her as the 8th Congressional District representative on the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services.[4]
In January 2025, Buller became USDA Chief of Staff to Secretary Brooke Rollins; her campaign website describes the role as overseeing a $200 billion operation with 100,000 employees. She left the department on February 19, 2026.[2][5] She won the uncontested June 23, 2026 Republican primary, according to NBC News. Her campaign website says she lives with her husband, Eric, and their three young children, and that she ran to restore affordability, strengthen public trust and put Central New York families first.[8][5] She received 41.6% of the vote to John Mannion's 58.3%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]
In their own words
Priorities
- Affordability and jobs, focused on lowering everyday costs such as groceries, gas, childcare and housing.[7]
- Energy and utility costs, opposing what she calls Albany's climate mandates and supporting an "all-of-the-above" energy policy.[7]
- Agriculture policy, drawing on her USDA experience to focus on cutting regulations and supporting farmers and rural communities.[7]
Statements, quoted without a stance
- Expand immigration enforcement and deportations
“We need to make sure that the labor that we bring in is legitimate but also that those who are criminals are out of our country.”[9]
In a March 2026 CNYCentral interview, reposted on her campaign site
- Universal, publicly funded child care
“Kailee believes we need practical solutions that expand access to affordable, high-quality childcare and give parents the flexibility they need.”[7]
On her campaign website
- Expand public health coverage
“Protect Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions to ensure coverage can’t be denied or changed because someone got sick.”[7]
On her campaign website
Campaign money$267K raised · 82% from individuals · FEC through 2026-06-30
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $218K
- PACs & committees $27K
- Own money & loans $22K
Largest committee contributions
- National Association of Convenience Stores Political Action Committee PAC$5,000
- Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans PAC PAC$5,000
- Chs Inc. Political Action Committee PAC$3,500
- Mvl PAC PAC$2,500
- National Grocers Association Grocers Political Action Committee PAC$2,500
- Wakefern Food Corp. Political Action Committee PAC$2,500
- Austin Scott for Congress Inc Candidate committee$2,000
- Circle the Wagons PAC PAC$2,000
- Bluestem Biosciences Inc PAC PAC$1,000
- USA Rice Federation PAC PAC$1,000
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/kailee-buller
Compare all 2 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Kailee Buller · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Tkacz Buller ends tenure as Rollins' top aide, replaced by Bennett · Agri-Pulse · 2026-02-20 News report
- 3.U.S. House New York's 22nd District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 4.Senior staff appointments announced · U.S. Department of Agriculture Official record
- 5.Kailee Buller for Congress — Kailee on the Issues · Kailee Buller for Congress campaign site Candidate's own words
- 6.Meet Republican Candidate for NY-22 Congressional District Kailee Buller · CNYCentral · 2026-03-11 News report
- 7.Kailee Buller for Congress — Kailee on the Issues · Kailee Buller for Congress campaign site Candidate's own words
- 8.New York House District 22 Primary Results 2026 · NBC News · 2026-06-23 News report
- 9.Meet Republican Candidate for NY-22 Congressional District Kailee Buller (CNYCentral interview, posted on campaign site) · Kailee Buller for Congress · 2026-03-23 Candidate's own words