# Collins courts independence with Manchin as Jackson closes in

> Maine's Republican senator campaigns with a former Democrat to prove she breaks from Trump as her toughest reelection fight enters its final weeks.
- Title: Collins courts independence with Manchin as Jackson closes in
- Summary: Maine's Republican senator campaigns with a former Democrat to prove she breaks from Trump as her toughest reelection fight enters its final weeks. Susan…
- Keywords: susan collins, maine, 2026 election, troy jackson, joe manchin, republican, democrat, donald trump, senate race, Collins, courts, independence
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/10/21/republican-senator-collins-maine-ex-dem-joe-manchin
- Author: The Associated Press
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: susan collins, maine, 2026 election, troy jackson, joe manchin, republican, democrat, donald trump, senate race
## Collins campaigns with Manchin
Maine Republican Susan Collins is campaigning with Joe Manchin, a West Virginian who became an independent and later retired, to promote her reputation for independence.
## Manchin praises Collins' record
Manchin said losing Collins would be to lose the soul of the Senate. He praised her independent streak, willingness to buck Trump, and record fighting for Maine's interests.

> to lose the soul of the Senate
## Collins faces her toughest race
Collins, seventy-three, is seeking her sixth term in what may be her toughest reelection fight against Democrat Troy Jackson, fifty-eight, a onetime state Senate president.
## National trends favour Democrats
This is only the second time Collins has sought reelection in a midterm with a sitting Republican president. Trump's approval has fallen well below where it was when he took office last year.
## Jackson trails in fundraising
Jackson trails Collins in the money race by less than three million dollars after raising more than twenty million in an aggressive quarter. He has campaigned relentlessly.
## Kavanaugh vote haunts Collins
Some of Jackson's backers demonstrated outside Collins' campaign stop with signs bearing Brett Kavanaugh's face. Collins voted to confirm him, and his vote helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
## Democrats focus on Trump ties
Democrats argue Collins is too close to Trump. In one ad, a nurse says Maine faces a healthcare crisis because of Collins and Trump, citing her vote for his Medicaid cuts push.
## Collins struggles to prove independence
At the final debate, Collins cited opposing Pete Hegseth's nomination as proof she bucks her party. Democrats released a statement questioning whether she breaks with Republicans enough.
## Jackson attacks Collins' record
Jackson has characterized Collins as out of touch with working-class Maine and a rubber stamp for Trump. He has criticized her votes on Kavanaugh and Robert F. Kennedy Junior.
## Key takeaway

Susan Collins is using Joe Manchin's endorsement to sell voters on her independence from Trump as she faces her toughest reelection bid against Democrat Troy Jackson.