ELECTION/GOP/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel imports into the U.S. marked a victory for the Mesabi Iron Range region of northern Minnesota, boosting the prospects of a Republican congressional candidate. The region’s mines are ramping up capacity to meet growing demand for ore in steel mills as far away as Lake Erie. At the same time, Mr. Trump’s tariffs—and the resulting retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports by other countries—are creating concerns for Republican candidates in other districts, hurting farmers concentrated in the southern half of the state. The duties are also worrying Best Buy Co . , Target Corp . and other politically connected businesses based around Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota is a major battleground in November’s midterm elections, which will decide who controls Congress. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report identifies four Minnesota districts—two currently held by Republicans and two by Democrats—as tossups…Democrats, some of whom support steel tariffs, are seeking to win a majority in the House of Representatives. But some GOP incumbents find themselves caught in the middle between the president’s enthusiasm for tariffs, the traditional free-trade leaning of the party and the vocal demands of businesses and voters in their districts.”
–William Mauldin, “Trump’s Tariffs Find Friends in Minnesota’s North, Foes in South,” The Wall Street Journal, July 18, 2018 5:30 am