Former Democrat Makes Stunning Cross-Party Move In Crucial Senate Battle

Former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin threw his support behind Republican Susan Collins in Maine’s tight Senate race this week, a crucial cross-party endorsement that could give Collins a boost as she fights to keep the GOP’s fragile Senate majority intact.

Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday, Manchin, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent in 2024, said he plans to actively campaign for Collins.

“I’m backing whoever’s the best candidate right now. Susan Collins, I’m going to go campaign for Susan Collins,” Manchin said. “You lose a Susan Collins of the Senate, you’re losing the soul of the Senate, basically a person you can talk to, wants to do the right thing all the time. Everybody says, ‘Oh she doesn’t do this, doesn’t speak up.’ Susan is always in there, always in the trenches, and when you need someone to work with, I call Susan.”

The endorsement lands at a pivotal moment. Collins, seeking a sixth term, is locked in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country against Democrat Troy Jackson, who stepped in as the party’s nominee after the Democrats’ primary winner Graham Platner withdrew after sexual assault allegations.

Every independent poll since Jackson became the nominee has shown him with a small lead over Collins — most recently a CNN/SSRS survey putting him ahead 48% to 45%, well within the margin of error.

Manchin’s backing matters beyond Maine because of what’s at stake nationally. Republicans currently hold a narrow 53-47 Senate majority, and Democrats need to flip four seats to retake control. Their path runs through only a handful of realistic targets, and Collins is widely seen as one of the most winnable Republican-held seats because she represents a state that President Trump has never carried in three presidential campaigns. If Democrats lose Maine, their odds of reclaiming the Senate shrink dramatically; if they win it, the chamber could flip.

That’s what makes a voice like Manchin’s potentially valuable to Collins’ campaign. Her appeal has long rested on a reputation for independence and bipartisanship rather than strict party loyalty, and having a well-known former Democratic senator vouch for her reinforces exactly that image at a moment when her favorability ratings have slipped.

Recent polling shows her underwater by 10 points, with 51% viewing her unfavorably. An endorsement from Manchin could reassure some moderate and independent voters Collins has relied on in past close races.

No single endorsement or poll can be regarded as infallible; in Collins’ 2020 race, Democratic challenger Sara Gideon led in nearly every survey but ultimately lost on Election Day.

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