SerpApi.Org
President Donald Trump’s threat to lob a whopping 50 percent tariff on many Canadian goods has sent Maine Republicans scrambling to distance themselves while putting Democrats on the attack.
On Tuesday, Maine’s two statewide GOP candidates — Sen. Susan Collins and gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles — both came out against the proposed tariffs, promising to do everything they can to oppose the move from the leader of their party.
The state shares a border and a close economic relationship with Canada, making it among those most likely to see a strong economic downside from the new levies. And the strong reaction from Republicans and Democrats across Maine made it clear just how much of a political albatross the policy might be in a top battleground that Trump lost by seven points in 2024. Tariffs in general have been particularly unpopular in the Pine Tree State: A June New York Times poll found that 59 percent of likely voters in Maine disapprove of them.
“I have voted repeatedly against the Canadian tariffs,” Collins told POLITICO on Tuesday. “Maine and Canada’s economies are very intertwined. A lot of our blueberries, our potatoes, our lobster, our lumber are harvested in Maine, processed in Canada and then come back. I don’t want to see the tariffs on the books.”
Vincent Harris, a senior strategist for Charles, said the GOP gubernatorial candidate plans to go to Washington after the November election and “work with the President to reduce the burden on Mainers caused by an escalating trade war.”
“As Governor, Bobby will always prioritize Maine, even if that means taking a position contrary to the national elites of his party,” Harris said in a statement.
That’s a markedly different tone from Charles’ defense of Trump’s tariffs last year, when he told a podcast host “I think what Trump is doing on tariffs is exactly right.”
Maine Republicans’ criticism of Trump’s trade moves come as the midterms are set to hinge on affordability and voters have continued to express disapproval with the state of the U.S. economy, given high gas prices, sticky inflation and sour consumer sentiment.
The tariffs on Canadian imports would hit a broad basket of goods and could be another blow to Maine’s economy, including the state’s signature blueberry industry, complicating the GOP effort to protect Collins’ vulnerable seat.
Troy Jackson, the presumptive Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, sought to use the tariff threat to tie Collins to Trump, saying in a statement that he would vote to end them and return the authority to impose tariffs to Congress.
“These tariffs are a tax on Maine people, and I oppose them,” Jackson said in a statement. “Susan Collins has said she’s concerned, but concern doesn’t lower anyone’s bills.”
The proposed tariff would go into effect on Aug. 19 and apply to a broad range of Canadian exports. The president’s threat comes as the countries negotiate updates to the USMCA, the trade pact Trump inked during his first term. Unlike in previous rounds of tariffs on Canada, products covered under the USMCA will no longer be exempt.
The politics of tariffs have not always been straightforward in Maine, where free trade agreements over the past few decades accelerated the decline of manufacturing industries in the state. Matt Dunlap, a progressive Democrat running to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) in the state’s Trump-leaning 2nd District, said in an interview Tuesday that while “targeted tariffs” could be useful, “this particular maneuver is not a smart move.”
Dunlap, who is facing MAGA-aligned former Gov. Paul LePage in November, sought to draw a contrast on the issue with his GOP opponent. In May, LePage said on Fox News that he is “all for the tariffs," arguing they would “fix our international trade and lower taxes."
“We have $20 billion worth of trade with Canada, and a 50 percent tariff is going to be paid by who? Well, it'll be paid by Maine working families,” Dunlap told POLITICO. “Paul LePage said that he was all for the tariffs, which means really, he's all in favor of raising prices on people who are already stressed out financially with the war in Iran.”
A spokesperson for LePage did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Dunlap wasn’t the only one seeking to turn Trump’s tariffs against a Republican opponent. In a statement, Hannah Pingree, the Democratic nominee for governor running against Charles, said Trump’s tariffs “put so many important Maine trade relationships at risk.”
Pingree also accused Charles of being a Republican “who only speaks up when it's convenient,” given his past defense of tariffs.
“We're in an affordability crisis, and this makes it worse,” Pingree said.
Prior to Trump’s announcement, the economic relationship between Canada and Maine had been healing amid the ongoing trade war. Canadian tourists were beginning to trickle back to visit the state’s beaches and forests. Most goods crossing the border passed through tariff-free, and the U.S. and Canada were in active negotiations that seemed likely to result in an agreement to lower at least some tariffs on key Canadian industries.
Trump’s reversal changed that quickly.
"Canada has been very, very tough on us over the years,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “For many years. And no other president has done anything about it. I love Canada. I love the people of Canada. Many friends that live in Canada. But their leadership from Trudeau to the current leadership, I mean, in all fairness to them, they need us to survive. Without us, there is no way they can survive.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening.
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who is not up for reelection and doesn’t weigh in on races involving his colleagues, called Trump’s latest move a “classic example of the downside of a trade war that will probably drive a further response from Canada.”
“Canada is our friend,” King said in an interview. “We have huge amounts of cross border trade. And it’s just ridiculous.”
