Manchin: Collins should leave GOP, become an independent
I've watched Susan Collins carve out her lane in the Senate for decades, and the idea of her leaving the GOP isn't as far-fetched as it might sound. She's voted against her party on key issues before, and Maine has a long tradition of electing independents, including Angus King, who now sits in the Senate as one. Manchin knows that path well, having just walked it himself.
But there's a difference between voting like an independent and actually being one. Collins holds real power as a Republican: committee positions, seniority, a say in the majority's agenda. Giving that up to sit in the middle with no caucus would change what she can actually accomplish. Manchin's pitch sounds like a plea for political purity, but the Senate runs on leverage, not labels.
I'd want to know whether Collins has shown any interest at all, or if Manchin is just keeping the flame alive for his own cause. Either way, the fact that a former senator is publicly recruiting a sitting Republican says something about how fluid party loyalty has become. That's worth watching, even if Collins stays put.