Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin endorses GOP Sen. Susan Collins for 2020
Cross-party endorsement is rare, but two voted together to support Kavanaugh
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III endorsed Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ 2020 re-election bid Thursday, saying he would go to Maine to campaign for her if she asked.
“I would go up and campaign for Susan Collins,” the West Virginia senator said in an interview taped for C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” that will air Friday. “For America to lose someone like Susan Collins would be an absolute shame. I feel that strongly about this lady.”
Collins is among the more vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election in 2020 as Democrats seek to capture the majority. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates her race Tilts Republican.
Though she does not yet have an opponent, Collins’ vote last year to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court led to the creation of a Crowdpac fund for her eventual Democratic opponent that has raised nearly $3.8 million so far to oust her.
Manchin, however, also voted for Kavanaugh, and the two have often worked together. They announced in 2017, for example, they would serve as co-chairs of No Labels, a bipartisan group that works to find middle ground on issues.
Manchin’s full interview will air Friday at 10 p.m., according to The Hill. It will also be archived on the C-SPAN website.
Also watch: First 2020 Senate race ratings are here
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