Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine shared breakfast sandwiches on Wednesday with Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent, and a roomful of Maine voters in Lewiston. She is making the case that she can work with people of any political stripe 1.
Manchin represented West Virginia in the Senate before leaving the Democratic Party and retiring in 2024 1. He had endorsed Collins earlier, and in September he said he was working with her to find a joint event 2.
She's not a Trump senator. She's not a Republican senator or a Democrat senator
Distance from Trump
Collins is the only Republican senator up for reelection in a state that President Trump lost. CBS News rates the race a toss-up 1.
At a New Balance factory tour, Collins was asked about Trump envoy Steve Witkoff describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian for releasing a jailed U.S. citizen. Manchin shook his head. Collins answered with a flat no 1.
She also said she does not support Trump's decision to waive new sanctions on Russia and strike a deal to import Russian diesel. She argued it will give Russia more money to attack Ukraine 1. She has also criticized the president's handling of the Iran war, saying in debates that he did not have a good plan and that the conflict should end 1.
Jackson: she can act
Her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, does not believe she is sincere. At a debate last week he pointed to her role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which writes spending bills 1.
She's the chair of appropriations. If she wants to stop the war, she can cut the funding off for the war
Outside the breakfast, protesters shouted for Collins to retire. Some held cutouts of Brett Kavanaugh's face, a reference to her vote to confirm the Supreme Court justice. Collins supporters chanted "six more years" 1.
Elaine Makas, a Lewiston Democrat who served in the state legislature from 2002 to 2008, joined the protest. She called Collins "genuinely a nice person" but said that is not enough 1.
Why it matters
Collins has a record of outrunning other Republicans. In 2020 she won by more than 8 points while Trump lost Maine by 9 points 1. She says she often votes against Trump's wishes 1.
The pattern is a Republican in a tight race stressing her independence from her own party's president. Voters will decide on Tuesday, November 3, whether her words on Russia and Iran match her votes. Democrats such as Jackson and Makas say they do not 1.
The Record
Sources
- CBS News, “Collins enlists Manchin to woo moderates as she distances herself from Trump” (2026-10-21). cbsnews.com/news/susan-collins-joe-manchin-maine-senate-trum
- Semafor, “Manchin looks to campaign for Collins” (2026-09-15). semafor.com/article/09/15/2026/manchin-looks-to-campaign-for
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