‘Troy was mocking my success’: Sen. Susan Collins and challenger Jackson spar over tariffs

NAPLES, Maine (WMTW) - Tariffs continue to be a point of contention in the race for Maine’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Susan Collins is standing by her latest efforts to lower the impact of Canadian tariffs on Maine after being criticized by her opponent, Troy Jackson.

Jackson, a Democrat, said Collins, a Republican, could be doing more to resolve the problem on Wednesday after the senator pushed to take Canadian tariffs on road salt and cement off the table.

“I would just think that someone that is the most powerful senator in the United States Senate would be able to do more than get us road salt back,” Jackson said.

During an endorsement event in Naples on Thursday, Collins said her work to remove certain products from Canada’s tariff list is making a difference.

“It’s clear that Troy was mocking my success on both getting the tariffs removed for road salt and for cement,” Collins said. “That tells me that he has not focused on an issue that affects every single community in the state of Maine.”

The tariffs, effective as of Tuesday, could strain businesses and customers.

“I think this really sums up Troy,” Collins said. “That he’s so dismissive of additional costs being imposed on our towns and cities shows that he doesn’t understand who ultimately pays for those costs.”

Canada, which is Maine’s largest trading partner, imposed tariffs on goods like steel, dairy, agricultural equipment and more.

“I mean, yeah, thank you for the road salt,” Jackson said. “But I mean, is that in the end going to feed people’s families and put oil in the tank?”

Collins says she is going to keep working on other tariffs and has urged the Trump administration to go back to the negotiating table.

Jackson and Collins will go head-to-head on Election Day, which is less than 60 days away.