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As the trade war between the U.S. and Canada intensifies, it could have political implications for Republican candidates across the country, depending on whether voters see Trump's tariffs as a benefit or a gamble. That is especially true in Maine, a state with close ties to its northern neighbor and with important midterm elections coming up. Steve Mistler from member station Maine Public reports.
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JD VANCE: We expect fairness in our trade policy.
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STEVE MISTLER, BYLINE: Vice President JD Vance visited Maine last week to stump for Republicans on the November ballot. But two of them, gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles and Senator Susan Collins, didn't show up. Both cited scheduling conflicts. It's the second time the vice president has visited this competitive 2nd Congressional District since May, and the second time Senator Collins has not attended. This time, Vance used a question about the trade war to rail against the U.S.'s longtime ally.
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VANCE: Canada and China have been the two worst countries when it comes to trade policy anywhere in the world. What a shame that is.
MISTLER: Vance's comments resonated with the friendly crowd, but the rhetoric may not help Collins, who faces a tough reelection fight after 30 years in the Senate and needs independents and some Democratic swing voters to win. On the same day as Vance's speech, Collins sought to ease trade tensions, saying she warned U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that the trade war would hammer Maine's economy.
SUSAN COLLINS: This is not China we're dealing with. It's Canada, our best friend, a country with whom our economy is completely intertwined.
MISTLER: But as Vance's comments reverberated to Canada, its government announced a wave of retaliatory levies against the U.S. And Industry Minister Melanie Joly acknowledged during an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that Canada's new tariffs are targeting key midterm election states.
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MELANIE JOLY: We are putting pressure clearly on different states and different people. We don't want to do - (inaudible) that. We don't want this trade war. We didn't start it.
MISTLER: An analysis of state trade data shows Canada is a leading trade partner for at least a half dozen states with consequential congressional races this November. And in Maine, where the Senate contest could be pivotal, the vast majority of the state's trade is conducted with its northern neighbor. Much of its wood products are processed in Canada before returning to the state. Canada makes the equipment used to harvest Maine blueberries, processes nearly half of its lobster and even supplies road salt to several border towns. All of that would have been affected by Canada's initial list of retaliatory tariffs, vexing Collins.
COLLINS: The tariffs will make it far more expensive.
MISTLER: Seafood has since been removed from the list of levies, but that hasn't stopped Troy Jackson, Collins' Democratic opponent, from questioning her influence, especially when it comes to appropriations.
TROY JACKSON: I mean, yeah, I think the appropriations chair has the ability to leverage that position in a way that a lot of these things either get stopped or makes it progress much better than what it is right now.
MISTLER: Collins has voted repeatedly to halt the president's tariff spree against Canada and she's previously claimed to have lobbied the administration to keep levies off specific wood products. But the day after her conversation with Trade Representative Greer, the White House posted on social media a photo of a bald eagle pummeling a Canadian goose on Lake Ontario, which the president recently tried to rename Lake America. Canadians also saw the symbolism. That's because the goose survived the encounter.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Mistler in Brunswick, Maine.
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