Leah Vukmir follows Trump on tariffs

There is plenty that separates the two top candidates on the ballot Tuesday to secure the Republican Senate nomination in Wisconsin.

Tariffs aren’t one of those things. Both Kevin Nicholson and Leah Vukmir have pledged support for President Donald Trump’s efforts to work better international trade deals through use of tariffs.

Vukmir, on a campaign stop in La Crosse this weekend, said even those potentially hurt by tariffs understand the president’s tactics.

“Talking to farmers everywhere I go, talking to people in industry as well, I’m amazed at the number of farmers who are, at this point, willing to give him a little bit of time,” Vukmir said.

While tariffs and their potential impact on Wisconsin farmers and manufacturers have been getting plenty of attention recently, they don’t even make the top three issues Vukmir has been hearing about while on the campaign trail.

In order from the top, she says those issues are immigration reform, repealing the Affordable Care Act and making recent federal tax cuts permanent.

On tariffs, however, Vukmir said most of those she talks to support how president Trump is using tariffs to coerce nations into better trade deals.

“We’ve got to give him some time to negotiate,” Vukmir said. “That’s what he’s known for — the art of the deal.”

Vukmir, the party-endorsed candidate to face Democrat Tammy Baldwin in November, is on the partisan primary ballot Tuesday facing the well-funded Kevin Nicholson. George Lucia, Griffen Jones and Charles Barman also appear on the ballot in the Senate race.

Both Vukmir and Nicholson have said they believe Trump has an ultimate goal of having no tariffs.

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson and Vukmir are pretty far apart when it comes to president Trump’s tariffs.

Johnson has been one of the most vocal critics of tariffs, most recently calling steel tariff exclusions ‘arbitrary,’ citing examples of Wisconsin businesses harmed, and demanding explanations from the Commerce Department.

“I respect Sen. Johnson,” Vukmir said. “At this point, however, I’m giving the president some time to negotiate better deals for our country.”