Former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., suggested this week that Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins should break from the GOP and become an independent.
Manchin, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent in 2024, has repeatedly called on more lawmakers to step away from the two-party system.
After joining the Maine incumbent on the campaign trail this week, the former senator told Semafor that Collins “is independent,” but said she “has to come to that conclusion” on her own first.
“She’s as independent as any Republican is up there,” Manchin told the outlet. “But the bottom line is, she has to make that decision.”
The Hill reached out to the Collins campaign for comment.
MANCHIN HITS THE TRAIL IN MAINE
Manchin appeared alongside Collins this week at a New Balance shoe factory in southwestern Maine for a campaign stop. The visit came after Manchin endorsed Collins’ reelection bid in September.
Collins has built a reputation in Congress as a moderate Republican who is willing to break with her party on major votes. In April, she split from the GOP on an Iran war powers resolution.
The Maine Republican also voted to convict President Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021. Years earlier, in 2017, she opposed repealing the Affordable Care Act.
A TIGHT RACE IN THE PINE TREE STATE
Collins is now seeking a sixth term in the Senate, facing Democratic nominee Troy Jackson in one of the most closely watched races of the cycle.
The contest is shaping up to be a nail-biter. Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the race as a “toss up.”
A Fox News poll released Thursday found Collins and Jackson tied at 49 percent apiece.
Other recent surveys have shown a slight edge for the Democrat. Polls from Suffolk University and Marist University have shown Jackson posting moderate leads over the incumbent, though those leads fall within the surveys’ margins of error.
With the race this close, Collins’ standing as a moderate who has bucked her own party on key votes remains a central part of her profile heading into the election.
MANCHIN’S INDEPENDENT PUSH
Manchin’s comments about Collins fit into his broader effort to encourage lawmakers to operate outside the traditional party structure. Since leaving the Democratic Party in 2024, the West Virginian has made the case repeatedly that more members of Congress should break away from the two-party system.
He told Semafor that he is also working with the Independent Leadership Council to support candidates running in Montana, Idaho and Nebraska.
Manchin co-founded the group in July. The organization’s goal is to elect more independent leaders to Congress.
For now, however, Manchin made clear that any decision about Collins’ party affiliation rests with the senator herself. While he praised her as being as independent as any Republican serving in the Senate, he stressed that the choice to formally leave the GOP is hers alone to make.
