NEW: Longtime Democrat Senator Flips, Endorses GOP Incumbent In Crucial Race

Former Sen. Joe Manchin is throwing his support behind Republican Sen. Susan Collins as she battles for another term in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.

Manchin, a longtime Democrat who became an independent during his final year in office, delivered a forceful defense of Collins during a Monday interview with CNBC, calling the Maine Republican “the soul of the Senate.”

If Collins were defeated, Manchin said, “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…Now, everybody says, ‘oh, she doesn’t do this, doesn’t speak up.’ Susan is always in there, always in the trenches.”

Collins’ campaign quickly seized on the endorsement, highlighting Manchin’s remarks in a news release as it works to reinforce her reputation as a moderate willing to break with her own party.

The support was not entirely new. Manchin, who represented West Virginia in the Senate from November 2010 until January 2025, offered similar praise for Collins in April and previously indicated that he would be willing to campaign for her.

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Thank you, @Sen_JoeManchin, I am honored to have your support.

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. Together, we have shown what is possible when Republicans… pic.twitter.com/nAJbHgCCuZ

— Susan Collins for Senator (@SenSusanCollins) September 14, 2026

Democrats have sought to tie Collins to President Donald Trump as she fights for a sixth term. Trump has faced weaker polling amid the war with Iran.

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Collins, however, has repeatedly split with Trump and other Republicans on major votes. She was one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The Maine senator also pointed to her work with Manchin on the Electoral Count Reform Act, a bipartisan overhaul of the 1887 law governing the certification of presidential elections.

The legislation clarified that the vice president’s role during the certification process is strictly ceremonial and raised the number of lawmakers needed to object to a state’s electoral votes.

Collins and Manchin also worked together through the Common Sense Coalition, a bipartisan group of senators that helped broker agreements during the federal government shutdowns of 2013 and 2018.

Collins is facing Democrat Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate president and fifth-generation logger from Allagash, in the Nov. 3 general election.

The contest is considered one of Democrats’ best opportunities to capture a Republican-held seat. Its outcome could help determine control of the Senate during the final two years of Trump’s second term.

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