Republican Senator Susan Collins brought an unusual campaign partner to Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday: Joe Manchin, the former Democratic-turned-independent senator from West Virginia. Over breakfast with voters, Manchin argued that Collins represents Maine rather than any party, telling reporters, 'She's not a Trump senator. She's not a Republican senator or a Democrat senator. She's an American senator that represents her state of Maine,' according to the Associated Press.
Source: Associated Press
Manchin also told reporters that President Donald Trump 'owns this economy', saying Democrats paid the price for the previous administration's policies and that the current administration must face up to its own record, the Bangor Daily News reported via NewsCord.
Source: Bangor Daily News via NewsCord
Asked whether Trump should reverse his decision to buy Russian diesel despite a sanctions law passed last month, Collins said yes, arguing the deal will not increase US supply 'in any measurable way' but will give Russia more money 'to attack Ukraine'. She has also criticised the president's tariffs on Canada, according to AP's account of the campaign stop.
Collins is seeking a sixth term and is the only Republican senator up for re-election in a state Trump lost. The Maine race is rated a toss-up, which is why her distance from — and occasional support for — the president is being watched nationally.
Collins also rejected a description of Russian President Vladimir Putin offered by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, who had called Putin a 'humanitarian' after the release of a jailed US citizen. 'I would describe Putin as a warmonger, a thug. He's certainly not a humanitarian. He is the aggressor in the war against Ukraine,' Collins said, according to reporting of the stop.
The appearance was not without pushback. Protesters outside called on Collins to retire, while her Democratic opponent Troy Jackson expressed scepticism about her rebukes of Trump, arguing she could do more in the Senate if she wanted to stop the policies she criticises. Collins maintains she frequently votes against the president's wishes.