Skip to main content

Tariff fight could hit GOP in key Senate states | TheHill

posted onApril 8, 2018
>

Article snippet: Democrats see MORE's escalating trade war with China as an opportunity that could help them win several Senate races in states where a trade fight would damage local economies.  States that rely on agriculture could be hit particularly hard by retaliatory tariffs from China. That could give Democrats in states like North Dakota, Montana, Indiana, Missouri and Florida — all of are represented by Senate Democrats up for reelection this year — a new argument to make against the president and his allies in Congress. China responded with a broad list of U.S. goods that would face $50 billion in tariffs as well — a response that prompted a White House threat to add $100 billion in new tariffs to Chinese goods.  The Chinese tariffs target a smattering of U.S. goods, including soybeans, cotton, corn, pork, chemicals, plastics, cattle, wheat and tobacco.  China is one of the biggest markets for American export goods, and a top recipient of American agricultural products like soybeans, corn, grains and pork, according to the United States Trade Representative.   Soybeans and hogs are major cash crops in states like Minnesota, Indiana, North Dakota and Missouri. Corn is a major crop in Nebraska, Minnesota and Indiana. And Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin, Montana, Minnesota and Florida all feature large cattle industries. All of those states will see Senate races in 2018, with several Democratic incumbents on the ballot in states Trump won in 2016. Republicans are warning tha... Link to the full article to read more

Emotional score for this article