Tammy Duckworth is doubling down on her opposition to current trade deals—specifically the Trans-Pacific Partnership—and she's hitting hitting Sen. Mark Kirk hard on the issue in a new ad.
Duckworth's move comes in a new TV spot focused on downstate Granite City, where former steel mill workers have had a rough few years.
"The imports are really bad. China, Korea," say crusty workers. "It's junk steel."
A bit later, Duckworth, speaking in Granite City, talks about how her father was laid off in his 50s and had a hard time finding a new job.
"Mark Kirk described himself as an ardent free trader. And that's a fundamental difference between us," she says. "I am a fair trader."
Back to the crusty worker. "(Kirk's) not supposed to work for China. He's supposed to fight for our jobs."
Duckworth has consistently opposed the current iteration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal and particularly the fast-track negotiation push the administration was trying to get it through with. "My concern is that when we enter into a trade agreement, it needs to be one that has a rigorous regime for inspections, and making sure that our partners don’t cheat," she explained in a interview last year, continuing "from what I’ve seen of the TPP that I've been allowed to see, that’s inadequate."
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