Click here to see Public Citizen's report and analysis, "Elections 2008: Fair Trade Gets an Upgrade."

Trade was a pivotal issue in our national and local elections in 2008. Over 100 campaign ads in presidential and congressional races focused on issues of free and fair trade. This is great news, since it is essential to discuss and debate these issues in a public forum.

The Washington Fair Trade Coalition does not advocate for any particular parties or candidates. However, we do seek to learn about and publicize the policies of political candidates, so that you can take their views into account. To this end, we sent out a Trade Questionnaire to all the Congressional candidates in Washington State. Here are the completed questionnaires that were returned to us:

Questionnaires

Voters' Guides

We have compiled a few voters' guides that compare candidates' positions on key trade policy issues. These guides do not endorse either candidate, but provide information on past trade voting records, statements made on trade policy, and other pieces of information that you may find helpful when making comparisons on the issue of trade.

The elections are over - but it's never too late to bird-dog! Feel free to contact new or recently elected officials, congratulate them on their win, and then talk to them about how they will move fair trade policy forward in the next administration.

When you lock down a specific answer, or corner a congressional candidate on a specific position, email it to us here.

To see some helpful tips for bird-dogging members of Congress, click here.

These are a few good questions your can ask any elected member of Congress:

1. The Bush administration is pushing a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, which has a horrific human rights record, the highest union murder rate in the world, and a government linked to rightwing paramilitaries. Will you commit to vote against the Colombia FTA?
2. NAFTA has cost the U.S. 3 million manufacturing jobs. Its provisions have increased immigration, fueled environmental damage, granted new rights to foreign investors and limited our ability to ensure the safety of imported toys and food. Will you commit to renegotiate NAFTA and remove such provisions?
3. Fast Track was used to seize constitutional trade authority from Congress. It was used to jam through damaging deals like NAFTA. Will you implement a new negotiating model that gives more authority to Congress to choose and negotiate future trade deals?
4. Nearly 100 Congress members have signed the Trade Reform Accountability Development and Employment (TRADE) Act, which aims to review and renegotiate existing trade agreements according to fair standards. Will you cosponsor the TRADE Act?