Former President Donald Trump is set to return to the White House for another four years, and his second term could feature immediate changes that affect Maine.
After storming into politics and the Oval Office in 2016 and then losing the presidency to Joe Biden in 2020, the Republican defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to win Tuesday’s election.
Among a range of policies he may seek to implement starting in 2025, here is a rundown of three things to watch related to Maine, including big energy plans that have gone from potentially game-changing to dead on arrival.
Maine’s offshore wind plans could get thrown into disarray.
Trump pledged earlier this year to halt offshore wind projects “on day one” of a new term as president. Maine is in the middle of a momentous offshore wind project on Sears Island.
Both supporters and opponents of the Sears Island wind port will now wait to see if Trump follows through. In October, the federal government turned down Maine’s request for a $456 million grant to help fund the $760 million project. The outgoing Biden administration has begun selling leases for areas in the Gulf of Maine that could power more than 4.5 million homes.
The administration of Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, “continues to strongly believe that offshore wind presents a transformational opportunity to strengthen our economy, create good paying jobs and embrace clean energy from our own backyard,” said Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Merrill.
Mills and an alliance of business, environmental and labor groups have said the offshore wind port is key to meeting Maine’s climate goals that include using 100 percent renewables by 2040. A diverse mix of Republicans, Democrats, tribes and environmentalists have argued the port will harm Sears Island’s wildlife, hiking and birding opportunities while calling for the state to instead use nearby Mack Point.
Not all opponents are thrilled with Trump’s victory, reflecting the varied politics of that coalition.
“Speaking only for myself, I would say that a Trump victory is far too large a price to pay to preserve Sears Island, if it comes to that,” Friends of Sears Island Vice President Rolf Olsen said Wednesday.
Trump’s tariffs could hit Maine’s key industries.
Trump has telegraphed for months his desire to implement up to 20 percent tariffs on foreign countries that he says have been “ripping us off” and more than 60 percent tariffs on Chinese imports.
Though Trump’s tariff policies have been popular in Maine, experts believe they could lead to a smaller economy, higher prices and trade wars that could reduce access to foreign markets. They could hurt lobstermen and wild blueberry farmers who are part of Maine’s heritage industries and struggled after China retaliated against Trump’s hefty tariffs during his first term.
But U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who looks poised to serve a fourth term in the 2nd District after narrowly beating Republican Austin Theriault in Tuesday’s election, has said he supports steeper tariffs from both Trump and Biden amid “a new recognition about the ways in which free trade has failed America.”
Maine’s senior senator is in line for a big role.
Though it is not directly tied to the presidential race, Maine’s top elected Republican, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, is in line to become chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee after her party won back the Senate majority Tuesday following four years of Democratic control.
But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, who was elected to the chamber in 1984 and has 12 years of experience on Collins, could invoke seniority and bump her from the top spot on the committee that controls most government spending.
Axios reported in June that McConnell was considering such a move as he steps down as the top Senate Republican, while Collins’ office said she planned on chairing the committee. If Collins becomes chair, observers believe McConnell may at least take over the spending panel’s defense subcommittee that Collins currently leads.
“I haven’t made a decision,” McConnell told reporters in Washington on Wednesday.
Collins pitched her key role on the panel to voters in her 2020 election against Democrat Sara Gideon and became the top Republican appropriator in 2023 alongside its chair, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington. She soon put Maine in the top spot for earmarks in the Senate despite representing one of the smaller states by population.
