NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Marsha Blackburn[1] is supposed to do well among Tennessee’s hog farmers and whiskey makers.
Yet the Republican Senate[2] candidate is struggling to explain President Donald Trump[3]’s nascent trade war to her state’s local business community. Jack Daniel’s whiskey and Jimmy Tosh’s hog farm are among those warning that Trump[4]’s trade policies - and the Republican candidates who support them - are hurting the very people who backed the Republican president in the first place.
That’s forcing outspoken Trump[5] supporters like Blackburn[6] into an uncomfortable position in one of the nation’s top Senate[7] races.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Blackburn[8] has been forced to distance herself from Trump[9]’s trade policies under heavy pressure from local business leaders and her Democratic opponents.
“We fully appreciate that some of these countries have had a trade war against us for years, certainly China would be in that list, and it’s time that somebody really stands up,” Blackburn[10] told The Associated Press when asked about Trump[11]’s trade policies. “But with that said, it does cause us tremendous concern, just grave concern.”
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Still, Blackburn[12] opposed a proposal by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., that would have given Congress new authority to check the president’s trade moves. She called Corker’s approach “a little bit too broad.”Instead, Blackburn[13] helped write a letter urging Trump[14]’s commerce secretary to reconsider broad tariffs so as to avoid harm to Tennessee’s economy.An estimated $1.4 billion in Tennessee exports are threatened by Trump[15]’s trade moves, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Those exports are linked to more than 850,000 jobs in the state related to farming, steel, baked goods, car manufacturing, whiskey and more.WHY IT MATTERSThe political impact of Trump[16]’s trade policies extends well beyond Tennessee.The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently reported that $75 billion in U.S. exports linked to millions of jobs will soon be subject to retaliatory tariffs. Many of the hardest-hit states are those that backed Trump[17] and feature top-tier Senate[18] races in November.They include Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania and North Dakota, just to name a few. Those are states where Republicans hoped to be on offense for the next four months.But as Tennessee demonstrates, the overwhelmingly negative reaction from local businesses is forcing Republican candidates to defend their party’s president. And every minute they’re doing that,