As we've previously reported, China has become a hot issue for Texas voters.

In a Lone Star state battle for the Republican Party's Senate nomination, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is promoting new ads that attack his opponent, state Solicitor General Ted Cruz, for representing a Chinese company that stole American blueprints and copyrights.

As an Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) poll has shown, voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support policies to get tough on China’s unfair trade practices.

It shouldn't be surprising that trade with China resonates as an issue with Texas voters.  As a 2011 study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found, from 2001-2010, Texas lost 232,325 jobs due to the U.S. trade deficit with China.

As AAM Executive Director Scott Paul explained in a recent CNBC.com op-ed, there's plenty that Washington can do to seek more balanced trade with China.

Until Washington gets U.S. trade back into balance, though, issues like piracy, intellectual property theft, and job loss will continue to remain high-profile election issues.