Former Sen. Joe Manchin is backing Republican Sen. Susan Collins in her reelection campaign as Maine hosts one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the midterm elections.
Manchin, a longtime Democrat who became an independent during his final year in office, said Monday that Collins represents the kind of bipartisan senator he believes Washington can ill afford to lose.
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“If you lose Susan Collins, you’re losing the soul of the Senate,” Manchin said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Manchin described Collins as someone colleagues can speak with and someone who consistently tries to reach practical solutions.
He also said he plans to campaign on her behalf as she seeks a sixth term representing Maine.
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Collins’ campaign quickly highlighted the endorsement as part of its broader effort to emphasize her record of working across party lines.
The endorsement is not entirely unexpected because Manchin has praised Collins previously and said earlier this year that he would be willing to help her campaign.
The two senators worked together repeatedly during Manchin’s years in Washington, including on legislation and bipartisan negotiating groups.
Collins cited their cooperation following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack as one example of that relationship.
They were both involved in the effort that produced the Electoral Count Reform Act, which updated the procedures governing congressional certification of presidential elections.
The legislation clarified that the vice president’s role during certification is ceremonial and raised the threshold required for members of Congress to formally object to a state’s electoral votes.
Collins and Manchin also worked together through the Common Sense Coalition, a bipartisan group of senators that participated in negotiations during federal government shutdown fights in 2013 and 2018.
Joe Manchin just endorsed Susan Collins for U.S. Senate in Maine.
The former Democrat on CNBC:
“You lose the Susan Collins’s of the Senate, you’re losing the soul of the Senate… Susan is always in there, always in the trenches.” pic.twitter.com/tCigKBqvTj— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) September 14, 2026
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Manchin’s support gives Collins a prominent former Democratic senator to point to as she continues presenting herself as an independent-minded Republican.
Collins has repeatedly broken with President Donald Trump and her own party on major votes during her Senate career.
She was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial following the January 6 Capitol riot.
Democrats are nevertheless working to tie Collins to the broader Republican agenda as she faces former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson in the November general election.
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Jackson, a former logger from Allagash, secured the Democratic nomination and is challenging Collins as she seeks another six-year term.
The race has attracted national attention because Maine represents one of the relatively limited number of states where Democrats are seeking to capture a Republican-held Senate seat.
Control of the chamber during the final two years of Trump’s second term could depend in part on results from contests including Maine.
Collins has long made bipartisanship a central part of her political identity while arguing that Maine benefits from having a senator willing to negotiate with both parties.
Jackson and other Democrats have countered that Collins’ long record in Washington should be judged alongside votes where she has supported Republican leadership and Trump administration priorities.
Manchin’s endorsement therefore gives Collins an opportunity to reinforce one of the themes her campaign has emphasized most strongly.
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Manchin represented West Virginia in the Senate from 2010 until January 2025 and built a national reputation around his willingness to break with Democratic leaders on major legislation.
He left the Democratic Party in 2024 and registered as an independent before retiring from the Senate.
His comments Monday went beyond a routine endorsement by arguing that Collins represents something larger about the institution itself.
Manchin said criticism that Collins does not speak loudly enough on some issues overlooks the work she does behind the scenes.
“Susan is always in there, always in the trenches,” he said, CNN reported.
Collins now heads into the final weeks of the campaign with Manchin not only endorsing her but promising to personally join her on the trail.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
