It looks like the craziness and socialism being embraced by more and more members of the Democrat Party are alienating some life-long members to the point where they are now backing GOP candidates instead.
Former Sen. Joe Manchin endorsed Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Monday in her reelection campaign in Maine, calling his former Senate colleague the “soul of the Senate” and promising to help her campaign. Manchin made the endorsement during an appearance on CNBC’s *Squawk Box*, arguing that Collins represents a bipartisan approach he believes the Senate needs to preserve.
“If Susan Collins loses, you’re losing the soul of the Senate,” Manchin said. “Basically, a person you can talk to, who wants to do the right thing all of the time.”
“I’m gonna do everything I can to help,” he added. Manchin served for more than a decade as a Democratic senator from West Virginia before leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent in 2024. He did not seek reelection that year and left the Senate in January 2025.
His endorsement reflects a longstanding working relationship with Collins. The two senators collaborated frequently on bipartisan legislation, including the 2022 overhaul of the Electoral Count Act, which clarified procedures for certifying presidential election results following disputes surrounding the 2020 election.
They also worked together on COVID-19 relief negotiations and other bipartisan initiatives during their years in the Senate. Collins, first elected to the Senate in 1996, is seeking a sixth term. She faces Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate and former logger who has emphasized working-class economic issues during the campaign.
Recent polling has shown a close contest. A YouGov survey conducted in early September found Jackson leading Collins 48% to 44% among likely voters, while a CNN/SSRS poll placed Jackson ahead 48% to 45%. Another recent survey showed a narrower one-point margin. Those numbers represent individual snapshots rather than predictions of the November result.
Collins has built her political career around a reputation for occasionally breaking with her party and negotiating with Democrats. She has been reelected five times in a state that has often supported Democratic presidential candidates, including a 2020 victory in which she won 51% of the vote while Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden carried Maine statewide.
Jackson is attempting to counter that image by arguing that Collins has remained in Washington too long and has ultimately helped Republicans maintain control of the Senate. He has also positioned himself as a populist Democrat, emphasizing labor issues, health care and economic concerns affecting rural Maine.
Manchin’s backing gives Collins a prominent endorsement from outside the Republican Party. During his Senate career, Manchin frequently worked with Collins and other centrist lawmakers on legislation that required support from both parties. Their collaboration became particularly visible during negotiations over the Electoral Count Reform Act, which they jointly led and which ultimately received support from dozens of senators from both parties.
Manchin had praised Collins in similar terms long before the current campaign, describing her office as a gathering place where senators from opposing parties could negotiate compromises. His endorsement comes as Republicans seek to hold Collins’ seat while defending their Senate majority in November.
For Collins, Manchin’s support reinforces the bipartisan argument at the center of her campaign. For Jackson, the challenge is to persuade voters that Maine needs a change after three decades of Collins representing the state in the Senate. The two will face voters Nov. 3.
