SC governor’s race resumes with fight over Trump’s tariffs
SC Gov. Henry McMaster is getting back on the campaign trail after Hurricane Florence and quickly swinging at opponent James Smith.
Republican McMaster hit out at Smith on Wednesday over the Democrat’s criticism of tariffs that threatened to shut down a Fairfield County TV plant.
On Tuesday, however, news broke that Element Electronics had told local officials it would keep its Winnsboro plant open after receiving a critical exemption from the latest tariffs announced by the U.S. Commerce Department.
Element made national news in August after it blamed Trump administration tariffs on imported Chinese components, used in its TVs, for its decision to close the plant and lay off 126 workers.
That led Smith to attack McMaster for not taking a more active role in opposing the “job-killing tariffs” of his ally, President Donald Trump.
But McMaster’s campaign Wednesday said Element’s exclusion from the tariffs list shows Smith’s attacks were “a knee-jerk reaction.”
“Since day one, the governor has maintained that we must be patient and let the trade negotiations play out,” the McMaster campaign said in a statement, adding, the governor also “lobbied this administration for exactly the type of exemption Element received.”
McMaster’s campaign said Wednesday morning the governor would resume campaigning for the Nov. 6 election, a little more than a week after he suspended his election bid as Hurricane Florence moved toward the S.C. coast.
McMaster’s Democratic opponent, Richland state Rep. Smith, restarted his campaign Tuesday, after he was released from National Guard duty, which he had been called up to during the storm.
Tuesday, Smith said Element’s about-face on closing was welcome.
But, he added in a statement, “This happened because the Trump administration granted a special exemption from its job-killing tariffs. But there are still thousands of jobs threatened by the larger policy in South Carolina, which does $3 billion worth of international trade each year.”
Smith cited a U.S. Chamber of Commerce study saying South Carolina is one of the states most in danger of losing jobs due to Trump’s tariff policy. He called on McMaster to oppose the administration’s tariffs in their entirety.
“South Carolina workers at this one plant have dodged a bullet,” he said. “But the bullet should never have been aimed at them to begin with.”
McMaster’s campaign cited state Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Fairfield, who had dismissed Smith’s past criticism of Trump’s tariffs as counterproductive while officials were trying to save the plant. “I don’t need this childish, middle school finger-pointing,” Fanning said at the time.
“While Henry McMaster is delivering results for South Carolina workers, James Smith’s demonstrated willingness to exploit potential job losses to score political points is not the leadership this state wants or needs,” said McMaster spokesperson Caroline Anderegg.
The Columbia Republican’s campaign has not announced any new campaign activity, as the governor continues to oversee the emergency response to Florence. McMaster also has made near-daily appearances on TV giving updates on Florence.
The storm disrupted the fall campaign before it really could start. The candidates now have less than 50 days to get out their message to voters before polls open.
This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 9:13 AM.