President Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada is creating political risk for Republicans in key Senate battleground states along the northern border. Voters in Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Alaska who supported Trump in 2024 express growing concern over rising costs from tariffs on steel, dairy, appliances, and agricultural goods. While 78% of Trump-backing midterm voters still support his trade policies, 19% now oppose them, according to a New York Times and Siena University poll.

In Michigan, Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers faces scrutiny for aligning closely with Trump’s stance, while vulnerable incumbent Senator Susan Collins in Maine has urged de-escalation. Voters like Candace Oxley of Kettering, Ohio, regret their Trump vote, saying the trade war fails to ease inflation and feels driven by vanity. Others, such as Shkelqim Doko of Sterling Heights, Michigan, remain loyal, believing the president is correcting unfair trade practices.

The conflict’s impact is most acute in industrial and agricultural states dependent on Canadian trade, where economic anxiety could sway Senate outcomes.