Manchin bucks Schumer, throws support behind Republican Democrats want to oust

Former Senator Joe Manchin, who quit the Democratic Party to sit as an independent before leaving Congress, is traveling to Maine to campaign alongside Republican Senator Susan Collins. Her campaign confirmed the visit to Fox News Digital, and Semafor reported it first. The appearance undercuts Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose party badly wants her seat, and it comes as she seeks a sixth term in a tight contest with Troy Jackson, a former Maine state senator. The race stayed competitive after Graham Platner exited earlier this year following a sexual assault allegation.

Manchin told Semafor he wants Maine voters to see that Collins, with whom he overlapped for his entire Senate tenure, has a bipartisan record. He credited her with helping pass his infrastructure package under President Joe Biden and with helping block an attempt to repeal Obamacare. Describing her as someone who does not simply follow Donald Trump, he said she is not a Trump senator. Democrats portray her as a loyal ally of the president, though she broke with him on his signature "one big, beautiful bill."

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →