Former Sen. Joe Manchin crossed party lines Monday to support Republican Sen. Susan Collins in her reelection campaign, giving the Maine incumbent a high-profile endorsement as she seeks a sixth term in the Senate.
Manchin, who spent most of his political career as a Democrat before becoming an independent in 2024, announced his support during an appearance on CNBC. He praised Collins as a senator willing to work across party lines and said he planned to campaign with her in Maine.
“You lose the Susan Collinses of the Senate, you’re losing the soul of the Senate, basically, a person you can talk to, who wants to do the right thing all of the time,” Manchin said.
He also pushed back against criticism that Collins has sometimes been insufficiently vocal during political disputes.
“Now, everybody says, ‘oh, she doesn’t do this, doesn’t speak up.’ Susan is always in there, always in the trenches,” Manchin said.
Collins welcomed the support, describing Manchin as a friend and former colleague with whom she had worked to find bipartisan agreements.
“Joe is a dear friend and trusted colleague with whom I have always worked closely to solve problems and deliver results for the people of Maine and America,” Collins said.
The endorsement fits Collins’ campaign effort to emphasize her history of occasionally breaking with Republican leadership and working with Democrats on legislation.
Manchin and Collins collaborated on legislation rewriting the Electoral Count Act after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Congressional records from 2022 show Collins joining Manchin in introducing legislation intended to clarify the process by which Congress counts states’ electoral votes for president and vice president.
Collins was also one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict President Trump during his second impeachment trial in 2021. More recently, she has continued to differ with President Trump on some issues, including aspects of his trade policies and his proposed $5,000 payments to American adults.
Those disagreements have become part of the political argument surrounding her reelection campaign. Collins has presented herself as an independent-minded Republican, while Democrats have sought to connect her voting record to the broader Republican agenda.
The Maine race pits Collins against Democrat Troy Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate and a logger from Allagash. Jackson entered the general-election contest after Maine Democrats replaced their previous nominee, Graham Platner.
The race is receiving national attention because control of the Senate is at stake in the November midterm elections. Recent CNN polling reported no clear leader among likely voters in Maine, underscoring the competitive nature of the contest without establishing which candidate will ultimately prevail.
Manchin’s endorsement is particularly notable because of his political history. He represented West Virginia in the Senate from 2010 until January 2025 and spent most of that period as a Democrat. He left the Democratic Party during his final year in office and registered as an independent.
This is also not the first time Manchin has supported Collins. He backed her during her previous reelection campaign and had already praised her publicly earlier this year. Monday’s remarks made his position explicit and included a commitment to campaign alongside her.
Manchin’s endorsement therefore adds another element to a Maine campaign already centered heavily on questions of party loyalty, independence and bipartisan cooperation. Collins can point to support from a former Democratic senator as evidence of her cross-party relationships, while Jackson and Democrats will continue making their case that Maine should change its representation.
Maine voters will make that decision in the November 3 general election.
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