Democrat Troy Jackson delivered one of the sharpest lines of Maine’s first Senate debate Tuesday night after Republican Sen. Susan Collins pointed to exemptions she secured from Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada as evidence that her approach was getting results.
The exchange came during a broader clash over Trump’s trade policies and the rising cost of living — issues with particular significance in Maine, where the economy is deeply connected to neighboring Canada.
Collins sought to portray herself as one of the Republicans most willing to challenge Trump on the issue.
“I have been the most outspoken opponent of the tariffs with Canada,” Collins said.
“Canada is not China. It is our neighbor, our friend, our closest ally, and our biggest trading partner.”
Collins then argued that she had not simply complained about Trump’s tariffs publicly, but had worked with the administration behind the scenes to secure exemptions for products important to Maine.
“Troy mocked it, but I was successful in getting concrete, pulp, and road salt removed from the tariff list,” Collins said.
Jackson immediately pushed back.
“I didn’t mock the fact that she got road salt back,” he responded. “I mocked the fact that — what about everything else?”
Then came the five words that summed up his argument:
“We can’t eat road salt.”
Jackson continued by connecting the tariff fight to the broader economic pressures facing Maine families.
He argued that getting a handful of products exempted from Trump’s tariffs does little for families still paying higher prices elsewhere.
And he wasn’t finished with the road salt.
Jackson pivoted to the economic consequences of the war with Iran, arguing that rising transportation costs could leave fewer Mainers able to afford to drive in the first place.
“There’s gonna be so many less people that are gonna be able to afford to drive that I’m not even sure the road salt is gonna be worth anything either,” Jackson said.
The exchange highlighted the very different political arguments the two candidates are making as they compete for one of the most closely watched Senate seats in the country.
Collins is emphasizing her seniority, independence and ability to work inside Washington to deliver tangible results for Maine.
Jackson is arguing that Collins shouldn’t receive credit for mitigating individual consequences of Trump policies that he says she has not done enough to stop.
That argument surfaced repeatedly throughout the debate.
At another point, Jackson compared Collins to an arsonist who helps start a fire and then wants credit for showing up with a cup of water.
Collins strongly disputed that characterization.
She pointed to her votes against Trump on tariffs, immigration and the Iran war and argued that her record demonstrates independence rather than loyalty to the president.
“I’m not exactly his favorite senator,” Collins said when asked about the possibility of Trump campaigning for her in Maine.
The road-salt exchange, however, gave Jackson an unusually concise way to make his larger argument.
Maine families aren’t experiencing Trump’s economic policies as an abstract Washington debate.
They experience them at the grocery store, at the gas pump and when household bills arrive.
Collins wanted voters to see the tariff exemptions as evidence that she can get results even when she disagrees with Trump.
Jackson wanted them to ask a different question.
What about everything else?
And he managed to make his point in five words:
“We can’t eat road salt.”
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