Portman, in surprise, to oppose trade deal

Portman said Thursday he has several concerns about the final TPP agreement, which global negotiators signed on Thursday morning in New Zealand. He said the deal doesn’t do enough to crack down on currency manipulation, a practice in which countries — most notably China — devalue their currency to make their products cheaper in the global marketplace. Portman has fought for years to curb currency manipulation, which puts U.S. manufacturers at a disadvantage.

Portman said he also objected to the “rules of origin” for automobiles included in the final TPP. Under the agreement, only 45 percent of a vehicle would have to be made in a TPP country to qualify for the agreement’s benefits — including tariff-free importation to the American market. Brown has made the rules of origin a chief argument in his efforts to torpedo the deal, saying it could allow a car to be made mostly from Chinese parts, then assembled in Japan, and sold in the U.S. tariff-free.

Asked on Thursday if he has ever opposed a trade agreement, Portman did not directly answer the question.

“I have always made my views very well known on trade,” he said. “I’m for expanding exports, opening up markets … but I’ve also always said it’s got to be fair.”

His decision to oppose the TPP, he said, is “consistent with what I have said from the start on this.”

Two of his rivals in the 2016 Senate race disagreed.

“When it comes to women, Rob Portman is anti-choice. On trade, he’s multiple choice,” said Dale Butland, a spokesman for P.G. Sittenfeld, a Democratic city councilman from Cincinnati vying to oust Portman in the 2016 Senate race. “That’s exactly why voters don’t trust Washington or career politicians who will say anything to get elected.”

Both Sittenfeld and Strickland came out strongly against the TPP last year.

The trade issue could play an outsized role in the Senate race. That’s because manufacturing is one of the largest sectors of Ohio’s economy, providing more than 660,000 jobs. And the Buckeye State is the ninth-largest exporter in the nation, with $52 billion of commodities shipped to other countries in 2014.

Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said coming out in favor of the TPP could have hurt Portman with Ohio voters who are already anxious about the economy and their job security.

“Voters have become very skeptical of (free trade agreements),” Duffy said. That is particularly true, she said, in states like Ohio that have seen their manufacturing bases erode in a global economy.

Duffy said Portman’s decision to oppose the TPP could be seen as a political decision aimed at bolstering his re-election prospects. But because of his experience as a trade negotiator, Portman is more credible on the issue than other candidates, Duffy said.

“He knows how (such deals) should be written … and I think that he can speak credibly about why he’s opposing it,” she said.