Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
Former U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin will campaign here Wednesday for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
The West Virginian’s visit here comes as Maine’s senior senator faces a tough battle to keep her seat in Washington.
Manchin, who was among the more conservative members of the Democratic caucus until he became an independent in 2024, will campaign with Collins in Androscoggin County, he told the media outlet Semafor.
Manchin previously announced his intention to campaign for Collins last month.
He praised Collins for her bipartisan streak, telling Semafor that his visit to Maine aims to “debunk” the claim that Collins enables President Donald Trump.
The race is very tight, with poll after poll after poll giving Democrat Troy Jackson just a narrow edge over Collins, who has led in at least one public poll, also by a single digit, this fall.
Both Republicans and Democrats have brought out heavy hitters to boost their candidates here, including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson for Republicans, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Democrats. Former President Barack Obama also gave a prominent endorsement to Jackson this month.
It will be an uphill battle for Democrats to unseat Collins, who officially announced her historic bid for a sixth term in February. The Republican has handily beaten back challengers, including in 2020 when she defied polls and expectations to secure a fifth term in the Senate. But Collins, who has been ranked the country’s most bipartisan senator and relied on cross-party appeal to carry her to victory, has seen her popularity slump since Trump’s first term in the White House.
If Collins is successful in winning a sixth term, she would be Maine’s longest-serving U.S. senator.