Republicans in tight races have settled on a debate-stage formula for dealing with President Donald Trump as his popularity with the voting public wanes: Distance themselves from his policies when the politics demand it, but never take on the man himself.

An AP-NORC poll released Oct. 1 put Trump’s approval rating at 31%, the lowest of either of his terms, and found that 69% of Americans do not think the Iran war has been worth fighting. That leaves Republicans in competitive races walking a fine line between alienating Trump’s base and losing the moderate swing voters they need.

In Senate and gubernatorial debates this week in Maine, Georgia, Michigan and Iowa, GOP candidates emphasized their willingness to push back on the president when they believe he is hurting their states, especially on the Iran war and tariffs on Canada. 

But even as they separated themselves from the president on the debate stage, they largely avoided a direct break with Trump, calculating that they still need the power of his endorsement to survive the upcoming election.

Maine

In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins used Tuesday’s debate against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, to highlight her nine votes against the Iran war. She said the conflict “is not well thought out” and is driving up fuel prices.

The five-term incumbent also rebutted Jackson’s claim that she voted with the president 95% of the time last year, saying the figure looks at the first seven months of the term. When looking at the entirety of 2025, the number drops to 72%, she said. 

When the moderator asked Collins if she would stand next to Trump if he campaigned in Maine — a prospect the president has floated — Collins would not say. She held off even as the moderator pushed her to answer yes or no.

“I would say that he is not coming to Maine,” she said.

Georgia

In Georgia’s gubernatorial debate Tuesday, Republican nominee Rick Jackson said he would “stand up to anybody” to protect Georgians, adding that he does not “owe anybody anything.”

His comments came after his Democratic foe, Keisha Lance Bottoms, repeatedly criticized him for his July remark that he will be Trump’s “favorite governor,” if elected.

That line of attack has become a staple this election season. In debate after debate, Democratic nominees have pressed their Republican opponents on the Iran war and Trump’s tariffs, even when the moderators have not.

In Georgia’s Senate debate Thursday, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff went after his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins, on tariffs early on.

“These tariffs are crushing our state,” Ossoff said. “I’d like to hear the congressman explain why he voted for them over and over and over again.”

Ossoff pressed Collins to answer for the tariffs multiple times throughout the debate. 

“We knew what the consequences of these tariffs would be, and still, he voted for them, because whatever Donald Trump says, Mike Collins does,” Ossoff said before prodding Collins to identify a time he voted against Trump. 

Michigan

In Michigan, Rep. John James, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, toed a similar line as Jackson, saying he has stood up to the president “many times,” including in his recent call for Trump to end the Iran war.

“I can agree with the president without worshipping him,” James said. “I can disagree without attacking him, and I always put Michigan first.”

On tariffs, however, James sided with Trump. Asked whether he supports tariffs on Canada, Michigan’s largest trading partner, he answered “yes.” He argued the state is losing manufacturing and business-services jobs to its northern neighbor. But he faulted the administration’s handling of the negotiations.

“I’ve actually called out the administration and specifically talked with the trade ambassador, saying that we must get back to the table, stop acting like children and negotiate a reciprocal, fair and mutually beneficial arrangement to make sure that we can bring our jobs back and protect our industry,” James said.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the state GOP’s Senate nominee, took a different approach in Thursday’s debate. He said the U.S. “ought to get rid of” the tariffs on Canada, which he called “too high and not helpful” to Americans. 

“I would like to see the deal made,” said Rogers, echoing the ad he released Wednesday calling for an end to the tariffs. “I have actually called the White House this week, and talked to the Secretary of Commerce about getting the deal done.”

After the debate, Rogers dodged MS NOW’s question about whether he would campaign with Trump if he were to visit Michigan. He did not answer if he would appear with the president, but instead said he would welcome Trump to campaign with farmers who have reaped benefits from Trump’s tariffs.

“I’d love to have him talk to those people and get them fired up,” Rogers said.

Iowa 

Iowa’s Republican nominees also took diverging approaches. 

Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican Senate nominee, has voted seven times in the House against curtailing the Iran war. In Wednesday’s debate, she again called on Trump to bring the war to an “immediate and successful end.” She also said she has no problem pushing back against Trump on issues that are “wrong for” Iowa. 

She defended her votes on the war by arguing the U.S. has to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon, which is the same rationale Trump used to justify the war.

“We do need to bring it to an immediate and successful end, and to me, that means not allowing them to have a nuclear weapon and making sure that we’re working with and protecting our allies in the region,” Hinson said.

Zach Lahn, the Republican nominee for governor, went another way: He embraced the administration without once mentioning the president by name. Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate stayed almost exclusively on state issues, though Lahn touted his access to administration officials and took credit for policies emanating from the White House, including Monday’s executive order aimed at lowering the price of diesel, citing a private conversation with Vice President JD Vance in September.

“Vice President JD Vance, who I’d never met before, pulled me to the back and he asked me a question about how we can give farmers relief at a time like this,” Lahn said. “And I said to him: One thing we can do immediately would be to allow the use of red dye diesel for on road vehicles … that day, I started getting calls about this, and two weeks later, we found out an executive order is going to be signed.”

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