NEWTON, Iowa — Two Iowa Democrats, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, have asked the Justice Department to block the buyout of Maytag Corp. by Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool.
The proposed acquisition could boost Whirlpool's market share to more than 70% in certain product lines, their letter to assistant attorney general for antitrust Thomas Barnett notes, putting the company "in a position to create real difficulties for competitors."
