VideoU.S.–Canada
Collins trails Troy Jackson as Trump's Canada tariffs shape Maine Senate race
Maine voters decide one of America's closest Senate races as Canadian heating oil, timber and power, plus new tariffs, sit at the centre of the contest.
Summary
Maine votes today in one of America's closest Senate races, and Canada has become one of the biggest issues on the ballot. The state imports about $4.1 billion in Canadian goods a year, making Canada its largest trading partner. Roughly $2 billion of that is heating oil, and $263 million is electricity from New Brunswick. Governor Janet Mills said forest product exports to Canada had dropped 20% since the trade war began.
The race's defining moment came in a debate, when Democrat Troy Jackson answered Senator Susan Collins's boast about tariff relief with the line "We can't eat road salt." On October 23, a White House order lifted tariffs on nine more categories of Canadian goods but imposed new 50% tariffs on dozens of others, including cocoa powder, paints, shampoo and carpets. The final NYT/Siena poll gave Jackson 51% to Collins's 45%, a nine-point swing since September.
The video argues the order shows Washington exempts goods Maine cannot easily replace. Political scientists Mark Brewer of the University of Maine and Lorie Turnbull of Dalhousie University warned the tariffs could return after the vote, because Trump imposes them under his own presidential powers. The video also places Ottawa's wider outreach, with Carney's government pursuing trade ties with Washington, Brussels and the Caribbean in the same week.
Key points
- Maine imports about $4.1 billion in Canadian goods yearly, making Canada its largest trading partner.
- Roughly $2 billion of that is heating oil, and $263 million is electricity from New Brunswick.
- Maine's forest product exports to Canada have dropped 20% since the trade war began.
- The October 23 order lifted tariffs on nine categories while adding 50% tariffs on dozens of other Canadian goods.
- Final NYT/Siena poll: Jackson 51%, Collins 45%, a 9-point swing since September.
- Independents shifted from a 47–47 tie in September to a 52–41 lead for Jackson in the final poll.
Questions answered
Why does Canada matter so much in the Maine Senate race?
Canada is Maine's largest trading partner, supplying about $4.1 billion in goods a year, including heating oil and electricity from New Brunswick. The video argues voters feel the stakes in their fuel bills, road salt and forest jobs, which made tariffs a central issue between Susan Collins and Troy Jackson.
Could the Canadian tariffs come back after the Maine election?
Political scientist Mark Brewer of the University of Maine said he would not be surprised if the tariffs lifted on October 23 return after the election. Lorie Turnbull of Dalhousie University noted that Trump imposes these tariffs with his own presidential powers, going around Congress.
What did the October 23 executive order do for Canadian goods?
The order lifted tariffs on nine more categories of Canadian goods, which Susan Collins called crucial to Maine's hard-hit farms, and took effect on October 30. At the same time, it added 50% tariffs on dozens of other categories, including cocoa powder, paints and varnishes, shampoo, vinyl flooring, archery equipment and carpets.
Prepared by the CanadaNext Editor with AI assistance from public reporting and CanadaNext's own videos. Sources are linked. How we work