Susan Collins is seeking to distance herself from Donald Trump’s trade policies while making the economic interests of Maine central to her bid for a sixth term in the US Senate.
In an interview with Politico, the Republican senator discussed the president, tariffs and the increasingly competitive political battle in Maine, where she faces Democratic nominee Troy Jackson in November’s midterm elections.
Collins has repeatedly criticised Trump’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, warning that the measures could raise prices for families and put businesses in the state under further pressure.
The latest tariffs include a 50 per cent levy on certain Canadian goods. Collins said the dispute threatened an economy closely tied to its northern neighbour, with Maine importing about $2 billion (£1.5 billion) in non-petroleum products from Canada each year.
In a letter to the US Commerce Department and the US Trade Representative last week, Collins said approximately $170 million worth of Maine goods could be affected by Canada’s retaliatory tariffs. About 62 per cent of that trade is linked to the forest-products sector, which supports roughly 30,000 jobs in the state.
She also highlighted the vulnerability of Maine’s traditional industries, including blueberries, potatoes, lumber and lobster. Canada has since removed seafood and fish products, including lobster, from its planned retaliatory measures, but Collins warned that the wider dispute would still create higher costs and uncertainty.
“The new 50 percent tariffs imposed by the Administration on certain Canadian imports and the retaliatory tariffs announced by the Canadian government will lead to higher costs, risk, and uncertainty for Maine families, small and large businesses, and our communities,” Collins wrote.
The senator has urged the Trump administration to return to negotiations with Canada. She has also said that Maine’s relationship with Canada is fundamentally different from trade with China, because goods and supply chains cross the border in both directions and families and communities on either side are closely connected.
Her stance has become an important feature of the Senate contest. Democrats argue that Collins has not done enough to block Trump’s policies, while the senator presents her opposition to the tariffs as evidence of the independence she says she brings to Washington.
Vice-president JD Vance recently praised Collins as an “independent” Republican during a visit to Maine, although she did not appear alongside him. Her campaign is attempting to retain support from Trump voters while appealing to Mainers who are concerned about the president’s economic agenda.
With control of the Senate expected to depend on a series of closely fought races, the contest has attracted national attention. For Collins, the argument that she can challenge her own party’s president while delivering for Maine may prove central to her attempt to remain in office.
