Factory workers sour on Trump's tariffs, posing midterm risk for Republicans
Three weeks before the midterms, U.S. manufacturing employs fewer people than when Trump returned to office. That could cost votes in tight races in Michigan, Iowa and Kansas.
Symbolic image · Photo: Steve Jurvetson from Los Altos, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Trump's tariffs were meant to spark a U.S. factory renaissance, but manufacturing employs fewer people than when he returned to office in January 2025, even though the sector has added jobs so far in 2026, according to an AP analysis. Companies such as Winnebago and Vornado Air have cut jobs, citing higher costs for imported parts. An AP-NORC poll in September found about 3 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of trade negotiations, down from about 4 in 10 in March.
The issue looms in competitive races, including Michigan's 4th District, where Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga faces Democrat Sean McCann, and Senate contests in Iowa and Kansas. The White House says a factory boom is underway, citing higher manufacturing output and more nonresidential construction. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss cautioned that some voters still believe tariffs will pay off in the long run.