Former Sen. Joe Manchin has endorsed Republican Susan Collins over her progressive challenger in the Maine Senate race, a move that underscores the widening rift between centrist and far-left Democrats.

Manchin, the former West Virginia senator who left the Democratic Party in May 2024 to register as an independent, made the endorsement on CNBC, calling Collins the kind of senator the institution cannot afford to lose. His challenger, Troy Jackson, supports Medicare for All and dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement, positions Manchin has openly rejected.

The Hill reported that Manchin praised Collins as someone who "wants to do the right thing all of the time," framing the endorsement as a defense of bipartisan governance in a Senate increasingly pulled toward its ideological poles.

"You lose the Susan Collinses of the Senate, 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."

That was Manchin on CNBC, making the case in characteristically blunt terms. Collins, a four-term Republican who has long positioned herself as a bipartisan dealmaker, welcomed the endorsement.

Collins and Manchin built a legislative record together

In a written statement, Collins called Manchin "a dear friend and trusted colleague" and pointed to their joint work on several major pieces of legislation. She cited the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, which created a federal red-flag program aimed at gun violence, and their negotiations on the Electoral Count Act.

"From helping end government shutdowns and negotiating the Electoral Count Act to delivering COVID relief and historic investments in our nation's infrastructure, we have shown what is possible when Republicans and Democrats work together to find common ground and get things done. I am honored to have his support."

That shared record gives the endorsement more weight than a courtesy nod. Manchin and Collins voted together on bills that required real political risk from both sides. Whatever voters think of those specific laws, the working relationship was not performative.

The endorsement also fits a pattern. National Review reported that Manchin previously backed Collins during her 2020 reelection and told Politico he would support Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski's 2022 reelection campaign "in a heartbeat." At the time, Manchin said he did not believe senators should campaign against sitting colleagues from either party.

His Democratic colleagues were skeptical of those GOP endorsements then. The skepticism has only deepened now that Manchin has formally left the party.

Troy Jackson's platform draws a sharp contrast

Collins's challenger, Troy Jackson, replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee after Platner dropped his Senate bid. Platner had received the backing of Democratic socialists before exiting the race. Jackson does not identify as a democratic socialist, but his platform includes Medicare for All and abolishing ICE, positions well to the left of Maine's general-election electorate.

Manchin has made clear what he thinks of that kind of agenda. In a recent appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation," host Margaret Brennan asked whether he could support a socialist candidate. His answer was immediate.

"No way, my God, no."

When Brennan pressed, "Even if they have some good ideas?", Manchin did not budge.

"I'll support the good ideas, but how could you support some of the crazy stuff they're for? Have you seen their platform?"

Manchin did not name Jackson specifically in those CBS remarks, but the timing and context leave little room for ambiguity. A party that nominates candidates who want to dismantle federal immigration enforcement is a party Manchin has decided he no longer belongs to, and one whose Senate candidates he is now willing to campaign against.

That dynamic mirrors a broader pattern of prominent Democrats crossing party lines to support Republican candidates they view as more aligned with their priorities than their own party's nominees.

Manchin's break with Democrats was years in the making

Manchin's departure from the Democratic Party did not happen overnight. During the Biden administration, he frequently clashed with progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont over the size and scope of the Build Back Better spending agenda. Manchin repeatedly warned his Democratic colleagues that excessive government spending would fuel inflation, a warning that proved prescient as consumer prices surged.

By May 2024, Manchin had seen enough. He re-registered as an independent, formally severing ties with a party that had moved far to his left on spending, energy, and social policy. The endorsement of Collins is the latest concrete step in that separation.

It is also part of a wider realignment that extends beyond Manchin himself. Democratic donors have increasingly backed Republican candidates in key races, suggesting the party's leftward drift is costing it support not just among elected officials but among the donor class that funds campaigns.

Jackson has not publicly responded to Manchin's endorsement, and current polling in the Maine race was not available. But the endorsement puts a well-known centrist squarely behind the Republican incumbent in a state where independent voters often decide elections.

Sen. JD Vance has warned that Democrats risk handing their party to socialists, arguing that American workers will pay the price. Manchin's endorsement of Collins over a candidate who wants to abolish ICE and nationalize health insurance suggests at least one former Democrat agrees.

Maine voters face a clear choice

Collins has served in the Senate since 1997. She has survived multiple competitive reelection fights by appealing to Maine's independent streak and positioning herself as willing to work across the aisle. The Manchin endorsement reinforces that brand at a moment when her opponent is running on a platform that would eliminate the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration law.

For voters who care about bipartisan governance and institutional stability, the endorsement carries real meaning. Manchin is not a Republican operative. He is a former Democratic senator who concluded his own party had abandoned common sense, and chose to say so publicly, with a specific name on the ballot.

When a man who spent decades in the Democratic Party tells voters he trusts the Republican more than the Democrat, the question is not what changed about Manchin. The question is what changed about the Democratic Party.