President Donald Trump is preparing to lift some tariffs on Canadian goods in a move aimed at bolstering the struggling midterm campaign of Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), according to new reporting from the Wall Street Journal published Friday.

Per the Journal, "The U.S. is expected to remove 50 percent tariffs on some Canadian products in a bid to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins and other Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, according to people familiar with the upcoming action."

The newspaper added: "The proclamation altering the tariffs, which could come as early as Friday, will likely remove 50 percent tariffs on certain agricultural and forestry products, according to the people, who emphasized that the scope and timing of the action could change. The tariff reductions could be balanced out by raising levies on other Canadian goods." Both agriculture and forestry are major sectors in Maine's economy, giving the product categories under consideration direct relevance to the state Collins is fighting to represent.

Collins has requested relief from tariffs affecting Maine industries and consumers. The senator has broken with Trump on the tariff issue as she seeks to quell voter anger and secure re-election in a state heavily reliant on trade with Canada. Her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, has made Trump's trade war with Canada a key issue in the campaign, and the two candidates are dead even in the polls with just over a week until Election Day — a margin that has made trade one of the defining questions in one of the cycle's most closely contested Senate races.

According to the Journal, the coming adjustment would mark the second time the Trump administration has altered its 50 percent tariffs on Canada:

"Trump in late August applied 50 percent tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods — about 5 percent of its exports to the U.S. — after last-minute negotiations between the nations broke down. Canada retaliated with tariffs of its own, leading Trump to ban the import of certain Canadian products and threaten to double tariffs on Canadian vehicles in January if the sides cannot come to an agreement."

Last month, the administration removed tariffs from products including road salt and cement — a decision that Collins took credit for on the campaign trail. The move did not deter attacks from Jackson, however, who said during a debate with Collins this month that Maine residents "can't eat road salt."

While the request came from Collins, the Journal noted that the move could also be an attempt to help other embattled GOP candidates. In Michigan, nominee and former Rep. Mike Rogers has released ads calling for Trump to end his trade war with Canada after months of backing the president's actions. In New Hampshire, former Sen. John Sununu has been similarly critical — a sign that the tariffs have become a political concern for Republicans well beyond Maine.

The Journal also reported that the 50 percent tariffs were imposed under a never-before-used trade authority — Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, better known as Smoot-Hawley. This week, a New Jersey-based food importer filed a legal challenge against those tariffs, arguing that the Trump administration is overstepping its legal authority. Because the duties rest on a statute no prior administration had used to impose tariffs, the outcome of the case could shape the legal foundation of the Canada tariff program itself, adding a judicial dimension to a dispute that has so far played out largely on the campaign trail.