Former House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt has endorsed Hillary Clinton. Since all candidates are seeking endorsements, this may seem like one of many.

It is not.

Gephardt, more than any other Democrat in recent years, is identified with protectionist trade policies. The endorsement, combined with Hillary Clinton’s recent rejection of the Korean trade pact, will raise fears that she plans to reject the free trade policy of the Bill Clinton administration.

Given the high personal negative ratings for Clinton, a polarizing choice for the Democrats, the vote calculation is interesting. She has little to lose from Republican voters. Among Democrats, many are more aligned with job losses due to international competition, than gains from global trade.

This may be a case of primary election competition pushing a candidate into a significant issue position. It bears watching — carefully.

It represents a significant tilt toward protectionism in our Candidate Forum, where we analyze specific links between candidates, issues, the markets, and (eventually) individual stocks.

Here is where we talk about Clinton and issues. While our staff is assembling candidate positions, we encourage readers to offer their views in the forum.