Hope, dread and the final stretch to Election Day.

© The New York Times

Collins, locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, issued a statement saying she'd spoken with Trump's top trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick "about the toll tariffs are taking on Maine families, businesses, farmers, and growers.''

The move was announced by Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who faces a tough re-election fight amid rising prices.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

One of the most closely watched Senate races in the country is unfolding in Maine, where five-term Republican Susan Collins faces a tough challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson, a former logger and state legislator. The race is rated a toss-up, with both parties fighting for a seat that could determine control of the Senate. Lisa Desjardins reports from Maine.

The state is both fired up by this big race and exhausted by its avalanche of ads.

Aesthetics have long been part of the president's measuring stick, either as a source of praise or target for ridicule.

"She said that it was a Troy supporter. She accused me of setting that up. I had no idea who it was," Jackson said.