Lee Fisher is the clear choice for Ohio voters concerned about jobs and the economy

Cuyahoga Falls, OH ~ “I will not only be a vote for fair and balanced trade [in the U.S. Senate],” said Lee Fisher, Ohio’s Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate, “I will be a tireless advocate for fair and balanced trade.”

The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) held the Ohio Senate Candidate Forum at the Sheraton in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio this morning. Candidate Lee Fisher (D) attended and answered voter questions. Candidate Rob Portman was invited but declined to attend due to scheduling difficulties. Mr. Portman did send a surrogate to make a statement and take voter questions back to campaign headquarters.

Fisher accused Rob Portman of helping cause the trade deficit, manufacturing decline and job losses when Portman was U.S. Trade Representative in the Bush Administration. “Rob Portman repeatedly chose not to do anything about currency manipulation when he was in a position to take action,” Fisher said.

Fisher also said that he supports HR 2378 which the House of Representatives passed on September 29, 2010 to neutralize foreign government currency manipulation. He favors tax credits for manufacturing in America to offset foreign value added taxes. Fisher further said he supports the TRADE Act which would evaluate past trade agreements for efficacy and plot a course for a new trade policy that would balance trade.

“We appreciate Mr. Fisher’s support for balanced trade,” said Michael Stumo, CEO of CPA. “The Great Recession was caused in large part by ill-conceived trade policy at the federal level. We are dedicated to educating candidates, voters and elected officials so they make smart decisions on future trade policy.”

Other speakers at the event were Jacki Adams (Northeast Ohio Campaign for American Manufacturing); Bruce Cain (Xcel Mold & Machine, Canton, OH); Peter Yoder (Yoder Agriculture); John Wagner (Tri-County AFL-CIO); Joe Logan (farmer and CPA Co-Chair for Agriculture); and Tim Burga (Ohio AFL-CIO).

“Voters need to know where their candidates stand on trade issues to make intelligent decisions on November 2,” continued Stumo. “Ohio has been particularly hard hit with job and manufacturing losses caused by federal trade policy. Only by a single-minded focus on balanced trade can we achieve full employment and sound growth for our manufacturers and farmers.”