By Nathan Layne
Oct 7 (Reuters) – Michigan Republican Mike Rogers, locked in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races, called on Wednesday for an end to the US-Canada tariff dispute, breaking with President Donald Trump on a second major issue ahead of next month’s election.
Rogers, who has largely backed Trump’s tariffs, including those on Canada, said in an ad posted on X that the trade fight with Michigan’s northern neighbor should end immediately to ease costs for businesses and consumers.
“Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy,” Rogers says in the ad, seated at a neighborhood bar with his hand wrapped around a bottle of Labatt Blue, a Canadian beer brand popular in Michigan, as he underscores the state’s close ties to Canada. “We need to end this tariff war now.”
Rogers, who is running neck-and-neck with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in public polling, reiterated an argument that he could leverage his ties to Trump to resolve the dispute. “As Michigan Senator, I’ll bring both parties together to lower your prices. That’s job number one,” Rogers said in the ad.
The current dispute dates to July, when Trump unveiled new tariffs on Canadian imports that took effect the following month, prompting retaliatory measures from Canada. The issue is especially sensitive in Michigan, where automakers depend on integrated cross-border supply chains and industry leaders have warned that a prolonged trade war could threaten jobs.
Republican candidates in northern border states hit hardest by the tariffs, including Rogers, have sought to balance appeals to Trump’s loyal base with efforts to win over independent voters, who polls show have grown increasingly critical of his handling of the economy and trade relations with Canada.
As recently as last month, Rogers had praised Trump’s tariffs as part of the president’s America First agenda, calling them “necessary” while cautioning that they were “not a one-size-fits-all solution.”
In response, El-Sayed said Rogers’ shift on tariffs reflected concern about his standing in the race, which the nonpartisan election forecaster Cook Political Report rates a “toss-up.”
“You cheerled this tariff war from the beginning and you’re flip-flopping now because your poll numbers are in free fall,” El-Sayed said in a statement.
The call for an immediate end to the tariffs came just two weeks after Rogers similarly reversed course on the war with Iran, which he had previously supported, urging an immediate end to the conflict as a way to lower gasoline and grocery prices.
The shifts reflect growing concerns among Republicans ahead of the November midterms, which will determine whether the party can hold onto its narrow House and Senate majorities. A Reuters review published on Wednesday found that two-thirds of Republican candidates in competitive House and Senate races have either broken with Trump on policy issues or sought to create some distance from him this year.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Deepa Babington)
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