Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) can’t get away from road salt.
Collins was taking questions from reporters at the Fryeburg Fair in western Maine on Thursday when someone shouted at her: “You can’t eat road salt!” The clip was posted by FactPost and C-SPAN.
The heckle was a callback to Collins’ debate with Democratic challenger Troy Jackson earlier in the week. While defending her record on Trump’s tariffs, she pointed to her “success on pulp, on road salt.” She also acknowledged that “Troy makes fun of road salt.” The moment went viral almost as soon as it aired.
At the fair, Collins announced that the Trump administration would speed up the release of more than $38 million in home heating assistance for Maine. Heating oil prices have hit record highs.
A reporter asked what she’d say to voters who want a new direction. Collins pushed back.
“Well, first of all, I’d contest the premise of your question, as you could see from the response here today, which was enormously favorable,” she said. “There are always a few exceptions.”
She acknowledged that “there’s no doubt that the high prices have caused a lot of people in Maine to struggle.” She also said she’s still working on issues with Canada, whose economy she described as “very intertwined” with Maine’s.
“People know that I am the most bipartisan member of the Senate,” Collins said.
FactPost’s clip of the heckle has more than 57,000 views.