Trade and manufacturing issues proved consequential in various elections nationwide.

Democratic Senate candidates who ran on a ‘Made in America’ agenda, like Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senator-elect Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senator-elect Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), and Senator-elect Chris Murphy (D-CT), did very well.

In her acceptance speech, Tammy Baldwin said that voters want a level playing field, one where China can’t cheat our workers.  Chris Murphy also talked up manufacturing in his acceptance speech.

Simply put, manufacturing matters to voters.  The headline of "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" that summarized Gov. Romney's approach to the auto rescue proved significant.

In fact, the auto rescue mattered the most in some battleground states, with President Obama attracting just enough working-class white voters to hold Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio. 

National Journal opined, “Obama Rescued by the Rust Belt.”

As Fox News found in an exit poll for Ohio: U.S. Auto Bailout: Approve, 59%, Disapprove, 36%

The auto rescue also proved popular in Wisconsin, with voters favoring it by 53-39. A lot of auto parts shops in that state depend on Detroit.

Overall, jobs and the economy were the number one voter concern in exit polls. 

One key message from the election: Congress needs to work with the president to pass the jobs bill.  Simply put, it’s time to rebuild the economy, and manufacturing must be at the center of that effort.