Candidates visiting Nevada often wade into the debate about where nuclear waste should go. They're pressed in South Carolina to take a stand on an aircraft maker's labor dispute. In New Hampshire, they face questions about right-to-work issues. And then there are the perennials, such as ethanol subsidies in Iowa and the Confederate battle flag in South Carolina.Such local issues aren't of concern to most voters across the nation, but these topics can matter greatly to voters wanting to hear the thoughts of candidates soliciting support ahead of presidential primaries.
And looky there: All of the examples of local issues that have cropped up this year specifically are labor-related. Right to work in New Hampshire. Boeing in South Carolina. And of course, Issue 2 in Ohio.
It used to be that the state-specific issues really were state-specific: In South Carolina you had to be willing to pretend that a Confederate flag that had flown at the State House since 1961 was a symbol of "heritage," not racism. In Nevada, nuclear waste; in Iowa, ethanol. This year, while the specifics differ from state to state, it's labor, labor, labor.
Gee, it's almost like there's a broad national campaign against unions and workplace rights.