Susan Collins Gets An Unexpected Lifeline From Trump In Senate Nail-Biter

President Donald Trump is lifting tariffs on some Canadian goods, a move that could boost Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins in her reelection fight, though the White House said it would impose tariffs on other Canadian products, including valves and carpets, in their place. 

The trade war with Canada, Maine’s biggest trade partner, has strained a state whose economy is tightly linked to its neighbor’s and relies on Canadian wood products to keep its mills running. The Trump administration is now exempting some Canadian goods from its 50% tariffs, effective Oct. 30. 

Collins broke with Trump on Canadian tariffs previously, saying, “If the Administration proceeds with these tariffs, they will increase costs for Maine families, as most businesses will have no choice but to pass on the tariffs to their customers through higher prices.”

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Both countries ultimately imposed tariffs on selected imports from the other. On Friday, Collins announced additional exemptions covering nine categories of Canadian products used by Maine’s agricultural industries. 

Collins said the exemptions would benefit blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers.

“Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense,” she said.

She also described her conversations with the Trump administration. Collins said she repeatedly sought relief from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and other senior officials, and would continue pressing for additional exemptions and a broader trade agreement with Canada.

The relief comes as Collins fights to keep her seat. Democrat Troy Jackson leads her 50% to 46% among likely voters in a recent Washington Post poll. Collins has beaten the odds before; in 2020, she trailed Democrat Sara Gideon in polling for most of the race, then won reelection by nearly 9 points.

Democrats’ path in the race has also been anything but smooth. Their original nominee, Graham Platner, withdrew in July after a string of scandals, including a rape allegation he denied, a Nazi tattoo, and controversial social media posts. The party then scrambled to find a replacement, with eight candidates participating in a debate split into two sessions.

The debate went viral on social media after one of the Democrats’ potential replacements for Platner, transgender-identifying Ashley Webb, told potential voters he was qualified because, “I’m a songwriter, and then I write my own books.”

Delegates chose Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, at a July 25 convention in Bangor. Days later, he came under fire in July over his relationship with his longtime partner, Lana Pelletier, his second cousin and the mother of his two children.

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