From Ohio to Maine, key U.S. midterm races for Canadians to watch
In Maine, a close neighbour to Canada, the race has implications beyond the state's borders
asserted
race → watch → borders
As the U.S. midterms near, Ohio, Maine and Texas are emerging as key states to watch in what could be a closely contested election.
uncertain
what → near → states
In Maine, the race has implications beyond the state's borders.
asserted
race → have → borders
A close neighbour to Canada, Maine shares deep economic and cultural ties with New Brunswick and Quebec.
asserted
Maine → share → Brunswick
Generations of cross-border trade, family connections and shared language have shaped the region — making the impact of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods a particularly contentious issue for Maine businesses.
asserted
impact → share → businesses
Republican Sen. Susan Collins has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997, making her one of the state's longest-serving political figures.
asserted
her → represent → figures
Now seeking a sixth term, Collins faces a challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson.
asserted
Collins → seek → Jackson
Washington correspondents Katie Simpson, Willy Lowry and Paul Hunter break down what the contest could signal for the rest of the country, how Collins is navigating her relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and what's also at stake in Ohio and Texas.
uncertain
what → break → Ohio
We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity.
asserted
We → include → length
Why don't we start with the state that is closest to Canada, and that of course is Maine.
asserted
that → start → course
What [effect] is it having on the midterm elections?
asserted
it → have → elections
I think it's having a significant impact.
asserted
it → think → impact
This is a state that both economically, but also perhaps more importantly, socially, is interconnected with Canada — with New Brunswick, Quebec, among the provinces that it borders.
asserted
it → interconnect → that
You have a voter base that some will rely financially [and] economically on trade with Canada, but also whose grandparents are from Quebec or New Brunswick.
asserted
grandparents → have → Quebec
On top of the numbers of it, there is [also] the cultural connection, which I think should not be underestimated in a state like Maine.
asserted
I → be → Maine
And then you look at who's running — you've got Susan Collins, a five-term U.S. senator.
asserted
you → look → Collins
She has a perfect attendance record casting over 10,000 votes in the Senate — the second most in the history of this country.
asserted
She → have → country
We should also point out that when she originally campaigned, she believed in term limits — two terms and then peace out.
asserted
she → point → limits
Her opponent, Troy Jackson, is a fifth-generation logger, and I don't know exactly how to put this in the most polite way, but he's not the most articulate candidate.
asserted
he → know → way
He also got a bit of a late start to this race.
asserted
He → get → race
Graham Platner, the original candidate, stepped aside due to sexual assault allegations against him, which he denied.
asserted
he → step → which
But that basically has given Jackson a short runway to try and unseat, if not a popular, a very long-serving senator, and the numbers are pretty close right now.
asserted
numbers → give → senator
The incumbent senator, Susan Collins, [has] been distancing herself from Trump.
asserted
senator → distance → Trump
What can you tell us more about why she's doing that?
asserted
she → tell → that
Cause she has to.
asserted
she → have → ?
There's two things that are really going to be impactful in Maine right now.
asserted
that → be → Maine
For the most part, they're the things that can be impactful across this country, but in Maine, particularly, [it’s] tariffs — super unpopular — they are really striking at some of the most important industries in that state — lumber, fisheries, all of that.
asserted
they → ’ → that
Tourism also — Canadians not going there as much.
asserted
Canadians → go → ?
Maine is a state where 50 per cent of people use oil to heat in the winter.
asserted
cent → use → winter
That was a subject during one of the debates that they're having — like four debates in the run up to this, which is good because people are gonna get an opportunity to hear from them, but Collins has to distance herself from Trump because obviously tariffs direct Trump policy, and then the war in Iran has caused oil, gas, diesel to skyrocket and that's very unpopular in a state like Maine.
asserted
that → have → Maine
I think it speaks to the broader climate in this country as well.
asserted
it → think → country
When the Democrats had to change candidates, I think everybody [went], ‘Oh, there goes Maine’ from a Democratic hopeful's perspective.
asserted
Maine → have → perspective
And yet, [they’re] not only contending, but ahead in the game at this point.
asserted
they → contend → point
When you take a helicopter view, it's like, what's going on in this country, then Maine becomes another example of that.
asserted
Maine → take → that
It does, though I would caution — in 2020, Collins trailed in the polls basically the entirety of the race and then she ended up winning by like nine percentage points.
asserted
she → do → points
One of the viral moments that came out of one of those debates [was] when Susan Collins was fighting the Trump administration, to try to get certain tariffs or certain goods removed from the tariff list.
asserted
tariffs → come → list
And she did succeed on that.
asserted
she → succeed → that
She did, and one of the ones she promoted was road salt.
asserted
she → do → ones
‘We got road salt,’ but Troy Jackson came back and said, ‘That's great that you got those off, but we can't eat road salt.
asserted
we → get → salt
And it exploded into this moment that I think, in this moment, it is giving Democrats hope, but Willy, I think you're very right in pointing out that she has trailed before in the past, but she continues to win.
asserted
she → explode → past
The Aporia
