2018 ND Senate race: on Free Trade


Heidi Heitkamp: Tariffs on China cause retaliatory actions

Q: Support President Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?

Kevin Cramer (R): "I would prefer a more measured approach." But they are "the one tool [Trump] has," so support them & present a united front for negotiations.

Heidi Heitkamp (D): No. They "severely limit our ability to build the international support need to keep China in check." Retaliatory actions will hurt North Dakota.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on North Dakota Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Kevin Cramer: Tariffs on China are the one tool we have

Q: Support President Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?

Kevin Cramer (R): "I would prefer a more measured approach." But they are "the one tool [Trump] has," so support them & present a united front for negotiations.

Heidi Heitkamp (D): No. They "severely limit our ability to build the international support need to keep China in check." Retaliatory actions will hurt North Dakota.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on North Dakota Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Heidi Heitkamp: AdWatch: trade war with China hurts soybean farmers

Heidi Heitkamp and her opponent, at-large Rep. Kevin Cramer (R), are locked in an ad battle. Heitkamp's new ad attacks Cramer for allegedly being indifferent to the effects of President Donald Trump's trade war.

The 30-second ad centers on Cramer's support for Trump's trade war with China, which will hurt North Dakota's large agricultural economy because China has enacted retaliatory tariffs.

A farmer calls out Cramer while standing in a soybean field. "China is canceling their contracts to buy soybean. North Dakota is losing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business. But when you ask Kevin Cramer why he supports the trade war, he criticizes farmers," the farmer says.

The ad then plays several Cramer soundbites that are ripped from their context in which Cramer seemingly downplays the trade war's impact. "Mr. Cramer, that trade war is costing my family a lot of money and you don't seem to care," the farmer says in response.

Source: The Blaze: AdWatch on 2018 North Dakota Senate race Sep 18, 2018

Heidi Heitkamp: Our $50B of tariffs on China caused $34B of retaliation

Heidi Heitkamp and her Heitkamp's new ad attacks Cramer for allegedly being indifferent to the effects of President Donald Trump's trade war. Trump has implemented more than $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports. In response, China passed retaliatory measures worth $34 billion that effect American agriculture products, such as soybeans, corn, wheat, and other produce. Agriculture is the top industry in North Dakota, comprising about one-quarter of the state's workforce.

Heitkamp drew a clear line between her and Cramer on tariffs, explaining how they negatively impact her constituents. "I think the first thing when you look at trade, you haven't seen the full impact. Fundamentally everyone had hoped by this time there would have been an agreement that we would have returned to shipping soybeans to China," she said. "That hasn't happened. As time goes on and you scratch the surface, people are getting more angry."

Source: The Blaze: AdWatch on 2018 North Dakota Senate race Sep 18, 2018

  • The above quotations are from 2018 North Dakota Senate race: debates and news coverage.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Heidi Heitkamp on Free Trade.
Candidates and political leaders on Free Trade:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 11, 2018