Susan Collins Wins Tariff Exemptions for Nine Maine Product Categories

Nine categories of Canadian products important to Maine's agricultural industries will be exempted from President Donald Trump's tariffs, Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced Friday, after she repeatedly lobbied Trump administration officials.

The five-term senator, locked in a tight re-election fight, listed the exempted goods: corrugated paper cartons, plastic boxes, plastic bags, refrigeration and freezing equipment, packing and wrapping machinery, and seaweed and algae products.

Collins framed the exemptions as the product of direct pressure. She previously secured exemptions for road salt, cement and wood pulp, other Canadian imports crucial for her state.

Why are Republicans suddenly opposing Trump on tariffs?

Collins is not alone. Republican Senate candidates in competitive races are publicly distancing themselves from the president's signature trade policy, even as import taxes remain among his favorite tools.

The GOP's Senate nominee in Michigan, former Rep. Mike Rogers, released an ad declaring: "Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy. We need to end this tariff war now." Rogers faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a former local health official, in a race rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.

In New Hampshire, Republican nominee John Sununu said it "doesn't make any sense to engage in a trade war with Canada." His contest against Democratic nominee Chris Pappas, a congressman, is rated as "leans Democratic" by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. The Maine race is also a toss-up.

The political math favors the breakaway candidates. An AP-NORC poll in September found that 64% of U.S. adults think Trump has gone too far in imposing new tariffs on other countries, up from 58% in January.

What is the strategic balance these candidates must strike?

Nathan Dean, a senior government analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said the candidates must address the widespread view that tariffs raise prices, while recognizing that "there are certain sectors where these tariffs could be strategically popular."

"And so they have to balance that line," Dean told MarketWatch.

He said GOP candidates need to distance themselves from the president "enough for the election," but not so far that they are "out of step with him next year," when tariffs look likely to ramp back up.

How did Collins's opponent respond?

Her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, a former state legislator, attacked the announcement on social media.

"Trump's trade wars have made life harder and more expensive for Mainers. Susan Collins enabled this chaos, voted to confirm the people behind it, and now wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put out the fire," Jackson said.

"We deserve a senator who stands up to Trump — not one who rubber-stamps his agenda and begs for relief from the chaos she helped create," he added.

What comes next in the Canada trade fight?

Collins promised to "continue working directly with administration officials to seek additional relief from tariffs and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally and largest trading partner."

The White House did not immediately respond to MarketWatch's request for comment on her announcement.

One caution flag: the tariff reductions Collins is celebrating may be offset by raising levies on other Canadian goods, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The trade fight escalated in August after negotiations on a trade deal broke down. Trump then banned Canadian dairy products, some alcoholic beverages and other goods in September.

For Collins, Rogers and Sununu, the exemptions and the campaign ads mark a calculated bet that voters punish tariffs at the ballot box faster than the White House punishes dissent — a bet tested in November.