2006 Cycle Archives

Candidates:
2006 Fair Trade Congressional Candidates

Impact:
Trade a Major 2006 Campaign Issue
Impact of Fair Trade Messaging on Election Results in the 2006 Cycle
A Fair Trade Sweep The Democratic Strategist, January 8, 2006
Election 2006: No to Staying the Course on Trade Public Citizen, November 8, 2006

Results: Trade Ads in the 2006 Cycle
Candidates running ads demanding new trade policy — and rejecting the failed NAFTA model — made unprecedented gains over candidates who ran on a status quo platform.

House races where fair traders beat anti-fair trader incumbents: 19
Senate races where fair traders beat anti-fair trader incumbents: 6
House races where fair traders took open seats vacated by retiring anti-fair traders: 11
Senate races where fair traders took open seats vacated by retiring anti-fair traders: 1
House races where anti-fair traders replaced fair trade incumbents: 0
Senate races where anti-fair traders replaced fair trade incumbents: 0
House races where anti-fair traders took open seats vacated by retiring fair traders: 0
Senate races where anti-fair traders took open seats vacated by retiring fair traders: 0

Highlights
Senate: Trade was a top and winning issue in campaigns that tilted Senate towards Democratic control:

Missouri: Claire McCaskill (D) vs. incumbent Jim Talent (R)
Montana: Jon Tester (D) vs. incumbent Conrad Burns (R)
Ohio: Sherrod Brown (D) vs. incumbent Mike DeWine (R)
Pennsylvania: Bob Casey, Jr. (D) vs. incumbent Rick Santorum (R)
Rhode Island: Sheldon Whitehouse (D) vs. incumbent Lincoln Chafee (R)
Virginia: Jim Webb (D) vs. incumbent George Allen (R)
Plus: Vermont: Bernie Sanders (I) defeats Rich Tarrant (R), taking anti-fair trader Jim Jeffords’ open seat

House Campaigns where trade was a top and winning issue (select examples):
California’s 11th: Jerry McNerney (D) vs. incumbent Richard Pombo (R)
Connecticut’s 5th: Chris Murphy (D) vs. incumbent Nancy Johnson (R)
Georgia’s 8th: Incumbent John Barrow (D) vs. Max Burns (R)
Indiana’s 2nd: Joe Donnelly (D) vs. incumbent Chris Chocola (R)
Iowa 1st: Bruce Braley (D) vs. Mike Whalen (Nussle open seat)
Iowa’s 2nd: Dave Loebsack (D) vs. incumbent Jim Leach (R)
Pennsylvania’s 8th: Patrick Murphy (D) vs. incumbent Mike Fitzpatrick (R)
Wisconsin’s 8th: Steve Kagen (D) vs. John Gard (R) (Green open seat)

Winning campaigns running paid ads on trade (select examples):
Indiana’s 8th: Brad Ellsworth (D) vs. incumbent John Hostettler (R)
Kentucky’s 3rd: John Yarmuth (D) vs. incumbent Anne Northup (R)
North Carolina’s 11th: Heath Shuler (D) vs. incumbent Charles Taylor (R)
Ohio’s 6th: Charlie Wilson (D) vs. Chuck Blasdel (R) (Strickland open seat)
Ohio’s 18th: Zack Space (D) vs. Joy Padgett (R) (Ney open seat)
The Brown, Casey, Sanders and Debbie Stabenow (Michigan incumbent) Senate campaigns; the Barrow and Braley House campaigns, and at least three others

Research and analysis performed by the nonpartisan Public Citizens Global Trade Watch.

You can view the full GTW report, “No to Staying the Course on Trade” at http://www.citizen.org/trade/politics/articles.cfm?ID=17705

Examples of Two Dozen Winning Campaign Ads from 2006
Senate ads:
Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), 1 ad
Sherrod Brown (Ohio), 7 ads
Bob Casey (Pa.), 4 ads
Bernie Sanders (Vt.), 1 ad

House ads:
John Barrow (Ga.), 2 ads
Bruce Braley (Iowa), 1 ad
DCCC for Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), 1 ad
John Yarmuth (Ky.), 1 ad
Ken Lucas (Ky.), 1 ad
Jack Davis (N.Y.), 1 ad
Heath Shuler (N.C.), 2 ads
Zack Space (Ohio), 1 ad
Lois Murphy (Pa.), 1 ad