The Democratic Party’s embrace of socialism has become so concerning that a former Democratic senator is now backing a Republican senator.
Former Sen. Joe Manchin is backing Republican Sen. Susan Collins in her reelection campaign as Maine hosts one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the midterm elections.
Manchin, a longtime Democrat who became an independent during his final year in office, said that Collins represents the kind of bipartisan senator he believes Washington can ill afford to lose.
“If you lose Susan Collins, you’re losing the soul of the Senate,” Manchin said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Manchin described Collins as someone colleagues can speak with and someone who consistently tries to reach practical solutions.
He also said he plans to campaign on her behalf as she seeks a sixth term representing Maine.
Collins’ campaign quickly highlighted the endorsement as part of its broader effort to emphasize her record of working across party lines.
“This is a huge endorsement for Susan Collins, especially since Joe Manchin said he is going to Maine to campaign for her too. This can absolutely change the state of the Senate race in Maine,” said one political analyst.
The two senators worked together repeatedly during Manchin’s years in Washington, including on legislation and bipartisan negotiating groups.
Correction: Joe Manchin has the largest Democratic Senate WAR, at an impressive D+27.3
He’s not the strongest overall Democrat however, as he finishes second to the absolute chad Nathan Mathis’ THIRTY TWO POINT ONE PERCENT Wins Above Replacement rating
can’t tell ya why tbh https://t.co/V3rqPeYIi6 pic.twitter.com/EiEzMJmobX
— Pizzagamer888 (@RealPizzaGamer) September 30, 2026
They were both involved in the effort that produced the Electoral Count Reform Act, which updated the procedures governing congressional certification of presidential elections.
The legislation clarified that the vice president’s role during certification is ceremonial and raised the threshold required for members of Congress to formally object to a state’s electoral votes.
Collins and Manchin also worked together through the Common Sense Coalition, a bipartisan group of senators that participated in negotiations during federal government shutdown fights in 2013 and 2018.
However, Manchin also endorsed a controversial Democrat for November’s midterm.
During an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday,” Manchin was asked about Texas’s Democratic Senate candidate, state Rep. James Talarico.
“I don’t know that young man, and things he’s said I’m discouraged about, but I can tell you, if character means anything, you can’t vote for Ken Paxton, if character means anything, because he has none,” Manchin said. “So, you have a situation there.”
Manchin’s support gives Collins a prominent former Democratic senator to point to as she continues presenting herself as an independent-minded Republican.
House Speaker Mike Johnson shared a major update this week as November’s midterm elections approach.
During a Tuesday interview on CNBC, Johnson answered a range of questions about President Donald Trump convening AI leaders, striking a responsible balance between AI progress and everyday Americans’ concerns, and Republicans defying history in the midterms.
“That’s their phrase, that’s what they’ve come up with. But even the people who were in the Gang of Eight briefing, the Democrats understood the necessity of doing this,” Johnson began.
“Now, this is a political argument they’re making. But let’s put all that debate aside because they’re never going to agree with us, they can’t, at least publicly. Okay. But here’s the thing,” he added.
“The economy, all the economic conditions are in place. As Scott Bessent said at the end of last year, 2025 is like setting the table. The feast and the banquet will be in the economy in 2026. And just as we predicted, as we calibrated with the Big, Beautiful Bill and all of our policies, the biggest tax cut in U.S. history for working families, the biggest spending cut in U.S. history, 1.6 trillion in the Big Beautiful Bill,” Johnson argued.
“We have the lowest violent crime rate in 126 years, the biggest decline in prescription drugs in 60 years. You’ve got the most secure border in a half century. Not a single illegal alien released into the country in 16 straight months. And the small business incentives that we put in, the pro-growth policies we put into all the legislation, all that was working just as expected,” he said.
“First quarter, economy begins to take off. Go roll the tape. We were all talking about it. And then the Iran conflict began. Now, we had to do it. The president’s convinced of that. We are. The world is a safer place because it was done. But let’s put that aside and talk about what’s going forward,” he said.
“In this election cycle, in 35 days, do you want to put Democrats back in charge who gave you $5 gasoline, who the Democrats said, Joe Biden himself and all of them, they want to end fossil fuels. Is that going to return those policies? Is that going to bring gas prices down? Of course not,” he said.
Johnson explained, “They want to reopen the borders. We closed the borders. I mean, this is law and order. This is common sense versus crazy. That’s what’s on the ballot in 35 days. You have to keep the team in charge. That is putting the conditions in place for the economy to do better for everybody.”
Johnson then issued a chilling warning about what will happen if Democrats retake the U.S. House and/or Senate.
“Let me tell you the nightmare scenario. It’s not going to happen because I’m very bullish on the midterms. I am convinced my team, the Republicans, are going to keep the majority in the House and the Senate. I think we’re going to grow it,” Johnson said.
“I’m about to go six straight weeks on the road until that Election Day. We’re going to go to 40 districts across 22 states. This will come down to the outcome of about 22 districts around the country, and I believe we can win those,” he said.
“But let’s play it out. The nightmare scenario, heaven forbid, the Democrats take control of the House. They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body. They will do nothing all day, every day, every hour of the day, but go after the president, his family, his cabinet, you know, donors in the party, big figures in business and industry,” Johnson argued.
“If you’re caring about your pocketbook, your family stability, you know, the stability of the markets, you have to keep Republicans in charge. Because if the Democrats do that, they go to lawfare on steroids,” Johnson said.
“It will roil the markets. It will empower our enemies around the world at the worst possible time. They will be playing dangerous political games for their own benefit at the expense of the American people. This is common sense versus crazy,” he explained.
“The DSA has told us what they’re all about. By the way, the insurgent left is consuming the Democrat Party. There will be no blue dog Democrats, no free market Democrats left after this cycle. We will not be having arguments and debates about traditional issues, you know, marginal tax rates and and inflation and foreign policy,” the Speaker declared.
“This will be a battle between whether or not we’re going to keep the republic or we’re going to break this thing down and go down this dark, dangerous road to Marxism. That is the energy, the excitement. The grassroots on the left is taking over the party. So that’s what’s at stake, common sense versus crazy. The Democratic socialists of America will drive the policy,” Johnson concluded.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
