Ross Launches Attack Ad, Hutchinson Campaign Responds

Ross Launches Attack Ad, Hutchinson Campaign Responds

Democratic Congressman Mike Ross Preaches Against Partisan Politics, Launches Partisan Attack

Little Rock - While longtime Democratic Congressman Mike Ross complains about “partisan politics”, Ross is quick to attack his Republican opponent for a bipartisan law supported by President Bill Clinton and each Arkansas member of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Congressman Ross released a televised attack ad on his Republican opponent, Asa Hutchinson, the day after the primary elections for the major parties. Ross’ ad accuses Asa of voting in congress to make it easier for companies to “ship our jobs to China”.

While Asa never voted to ship jobs to China, Asa did vote to open foreign markets for Arkansas’s farmers, manufacturers and retailers by voting for H.R. 4444, the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000. This bill allowed for normal trade relations to resume between the United States and China by removing the annual review of China’s “Most Favored Nation” trading status. President Bill Clinton made the passage of H.R. 4444 into law a focal point in the final years of his administration and Arkansas’s Congressman Marion Berry, Congressman Vic Snyder and Congressman Jay Dickey all voted for this same legislation along with Hutchinson.

H.R. 4444 was vocally supported by both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Hutchinson spokesman Christian Olson issued this statement:

“This is another example of Mike Ross struggling to find his voice. While preaching against partisan politics, he chose to attack a bi-partisan vote, where Arkansas’s two Democrats voted “yea” and so did both Republicans.  Arkansas’s four “yea” votes in the house were half Republican and half Democrat. Doesn’t Congressman Ross even recognize bi-partisanship when he sees it? If Congressman Ross wants to deplore partisan politics, let’s start with his support of Nancy Pelosi and the federal takeover of our healthcare with President Obama.”