Last fall, Hillary Clinton notoriously abandoned what she had once said was her most important accomplishment as secretary of state. With her cynical political calculation naked for all to see, she formally came out in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade deal, which she had praised as the “gold standard” for “free, transparent, fair trade.”

In a year when all candidates have been bad-mouthing the free exchange of goods and services across national boundaries, there are unfortunate hints that some Senate Republicans, many of whom have long been dedicated supporters of free trade, seem to be doing something similar.