Former Sen. Joe Manchin is campaigning for Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, putting his support behind a former Senate colleague whom Democrats are targeting as they seek to win her seat. Collins is running for a sixth term and faces former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson, according to the supplied report.
Manchin’s appearance with Collins was scheduled for Wednesday, the report said. He left the Democratic Party to become an independent before retiring from the Senate. Collins’ campaign confirmed his visit to Fox News Digital; Semafor first reported the planned appearance.
Manchin said he wanted voters to consider Collins’ record of working across party lines. He pointed to her role in advancing legislation including the infrastructure package enacted under former President Joe Biden and in opposing policies he associated with President Donald Trump, including efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. “She is not a Trump senator,” Manchin said, according to the report.
Collins has at times broken with Trump during his second term, the report said, including over his signature legislation, referred to as the “one big, beautiful bill.” Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to portray her as too closely aligned with the president.
Manchin’s campaign appearance was set to precede a visit by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by about a day. Jackson has also received campaign support from Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Collins spokeswoman Blake Kernan characterized the three liberal lawmakers’ support for Jackson as an indication of how he would govern. Kernan also praised Manchin’s decision to campaign for Collins, saying it reflected what she described as the senator’s effective and independent leadership and record of delivering results.
The contest had remained close after a change in the Democratic primary field earlier in the year, the report said. Graham Platner dropped out after a sexual assault allegation affected his campaign. The supplied material does not provide further details about the allegation or its status.
Manchin’s support for Collins follows a long history of disagreement with Democratic leaders while he served in the Senate. In a memoir released the previous year, he criticized former President Barack Obama, Biden and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. The report said Manchin particularly objected to Schumer’s support for eliminating the Senate filibuster.
Manchin wrote that he wanted Republicans to take control of the Senate in 2024 because he believed it was necessary to preserve the institution and the filibuster. He described the filibuster as a safeguard against what he called total partisan rule. The report frames his Maine appearance as a rebuke to Schumer and Democratic Party leadership.
