Democrats aim to turn Trump’s tariffs against GOP in campaigns for governor

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) 2026-03-20T04:05:02Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than a week after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s global tariffs, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul listened as one of the plaintiffs in the case recounted the financial toll of the levies on his wine importing business. “This is a heavy tax and you have to pay it up front,” Victor Schwartz, the owner of VOS Selections, told Hochul as they walked alongside bottles of wine he imports from 16 countries. As Hochul seeks reelection this year, she says the impact of Trump’s tariffs is a “centerpiece” of her message. She has pressed the administration to issue a $13.5 billion tariff refund to New Yorkers following the Supreme Court decision. And she released an ad this week criticizing her Republican challenger, Bruce Blakeman , for supporting the levies and attending the White House event where Trump unveiled them with a massive board listing the rate for each country. “This is a lethal issue for Republicans this November,” Hochul said in an interview. “You can be sure we’re going to make sure people know who did this to them.” She’s not alone. Democrats running for governor across the country are making tariffs central to their pitch to voters. They’re betting that in an election year dominated by issues ranging from immigration to the war in Iran , rising costs connected to the tariffs will be a motivating issue for many voters. “That picture of (Trump) with the tariff board is going to be front and center in every single one of our campaigns,” Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who is leading the Democratic Governors Association this year, said in an interview. White House spokesman Kush Desai countered that “what Democrats are really running against are President Trump’s Most-Favored-Nations deals to slash prescription drug prices by up to 9

原文链接: AP News