WASHINGTON (AP) – Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio is maneuvering with care as he runs for re-election in a swing state. He is cautiously supporting a free-trade deal that even some fellow Republicans fear could lead to job losses back home.
The former U.S. trade representative backed the fast-track trade bill in a Senate committee. But that was only after pushing an amendment aimed at cracking down on currency manipulation, a measure the Obama administration saw as a deal killer for the bill.
Portman’s oft-repeated explanation is that he’s for a balanced approach on trade.
But Democrats are pouncing, convinced they’ve found an issue that could deny Portman a second term as they battle uphill to retake control of the Senate.