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CLEVELAND, N.C.-John Stewart was a proud Republican who voted for George W. Bush twice.
That was before the truck manufacturer he worked for, Freightliner, built a second plant in Mexico, and before Stewart and 1,500 other workers lost their jobs here in June.
Facing an uncertain job market, Stewart registered as an independent and plans to vote for Barack Obama. The reason: Obama opposed international trade deals that workers blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs in the state over the last decade, while John McCain supported the trade agreements.
"I understand the world needs trade," Stewart said. "But when it costs us jobs going to China, Mexico, there's nothing free or fair about that."
Cleveland and other manufacturing towns in this pivotal battleground state have generally tilted Republican in recent presidential elections. In 2008, the souring economy has created an opening for Obama with voters like Stewart.
North Carolina has shed tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs over the last decade, as companies have moved textile, furniture and auto jobs overseas following passage of North America and Central America free trade agreements and trade deals with China and other nations.
Last year, the state lost 16,000 manufacturing jobs, mostly in textile and apparel, according to the North Carolina Manufacturers Register.
The global financial meltdown has presented problems for McCain's campaign over the last two months. It pushed the economy to the top of voters' minds, and polls show voters believe Obama is better suited to handle the country's economic problems.
"That's a standard expectation. The party in power gets punished in tough economic times," said John Dinan, a political scientist at Wake Forest University.
McCain argues that he would break with the Bush administration's economic policies and that Obama's policies would stifle economic growth and hurt small businesses.
But in North Carolina and some Rust Belt states, McCain's votes in favor of dropping trade barriers with Mexico (NAFTA), Central America (CAFTA), and China have turned off some voters.
Obama voted against CAFTA in 2005. Though he was not in the Senate for NAFTA or a vote on expansion of trade with China in 2000 he has said he would have opposed those deals.
During the primaries, Obama signaled a willingness to renegotiate trade pacts if elected. Since then, his advisors have at times sent conflicting signals about whether he actually would renegotiate.
Lewis Dishmon, a Republican turned Democrat who weaves Oriental rugs at one of the few remaining textile plants in Eden, N.C., voted for Obama. He said Obama's rhetoric on trade has made him more popular than typical Democratic candidates with conservative-minded workers at his plant, which is owned by Karastan.
"I'm not foolish enough to believe that we wake up tomorrow and all these textile companies will come back. But we have to stop the bleeding," said Dishmon, a local union leader.
Clifford Ayers once had steady work on the line at the same rug plant in Eden. Though he still has a job, the plant has cut back on shifts, and he has not worked in three weeks.
"I don't know how long this is going to last, but I hope we don't have any more layoffs," he said.
Ayers, a self-described conservative Democrat, voted for Bush in 2004 largely because he identified with the Republican's anti-abortion stance. This year, that issue has taken a back seat to the economy.
"With Obama, I like his plan of trying to save jobs, putting taxes back on imports, keeping some jobs here, maybe getting some of them back," Ayers said.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668.
That was before the truck manufacturer he worked for, Freightliner, built a second plant in Mexico, and before Stewart and 1,500 other workers lost their jobs here in June.
Facing an uncertain job market, Stewart registered as an independent and plans to vote for Barack Obama. The reason: Obama opposed international trade deals that workers blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs in the state over the last decade, while John McCain supported the trade agreements.
"I understand the world needs trade," Stewart said. "But when it costs us jobs going to China, Mexico, there's nothing free or fair about that."
Cleveland and other manufacturing towns in this pivotal battleground state have generally tilted Republican in recent presidential elections. In 2008, the souring economy has created an opening for Obama with voters like Stewart.
North Carolina has shed tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs over the last decade, as companies have moved textile, furniture and auto jobs overseas following passage of North America and Central America free trade agreements and trade deals with China and other nations.
Last year, the state lost 16,000 manufacturing jobs, mostly in textile and apparel, according to the North Carolina Manufacturers Register.
The global financial meltdown has presented problems for McCain's campaign over the last two months. It pushed the economy to the top of voters' minds, and polls show voters believe Obama is better suited to handle the country's economic problems.
"That's a standard expectation. The party in power gets punished in tough economic times," said John Dinan, a political scientist at Wake Forest University.
McCain argues that he would break with the Bush administration's economic policies and that Obama's policies would stifle economic growth and hurt small businesses.
But in North Carolina and some Rust Belt states, McCain's votes in favor of dropping trade barriers with Mexico (NAFTA), Central America (CAFTA), and China have turned off some voters.
Obama voted against CAFTA in 2005. Though he was not in the Senate for NAFTA or a vote on expansion of trade with China in 2000 he has said he would have opposed those deals.
During the primaries, Obama signaled a willingness to renegotiate trade pacts if elected. Since then, his advisors have at times sent conflicting signals about whether he actually would renegotiate.
Lewis Dishmon, a Republican turned Democrat who weaves Oriental rugs at one of the few remaining textile plants in Eden, N.C., voted for Obama. He said Obama's rhetoric on trade has made him more popular than typical Democratic candidates with conservative-minded workers at his plant, which is owned by Karastan.
"I'm not foolish enough to believe that we wake up tomorrow and all these textile companies will come back. But we have to stop the bleeding," said Dishmon, a local union leader.
Clifford Ayers once had steady work on the line at the same rug plant in Eden. Though he still has a job, the plant has cut back on shifts, and he has not worked in three weeks.
"I don't know how long this is going to last, but I hope we don't have any more layoffs," he said.
Ayers, a self-described conservative Democrat, voted for Bush in 2004 largely because he identified with the Republican's anti-abortion stance. This year, that issue has taken a back seat to the economy.
"With Obama, I like his plan of trying to save jobs, putting taxes back on imports, keeping some jobs here, maybe getting some of them back," Ayers said.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668.