Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) is once again breaking with his party to endorse Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski for reelection next year.
Murkowski’s biggest hurdle to reelection is coming from her own party in the form of Kelly Tshibaka, a former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner, who was endorsed by Trump after Murkowski supported his second impeachment.
Manchin told Politico that he would support Murkowski’s reelection “in a heartbeat.” The senator from Alaska is yet to officially announce that she is running for reelection.
“I’ve met a lot of good people in Alaska, they know when they’ve got the real deal. And they see the person that basically is bringing both sides together, trying to look for the best interest,” Manchin said of Murkowski in a joint interview. “People understand that they have a person that understands Alaska and has Alaska in her blood and in every part of her veins and every morsel of her body.”
Murkowski was elated to receive Manchin’s support, telling Politico: “I would welcome his endorsement.”
Supporting a Republican is nothing new for Manchin, he backed Maine Sen. Susan Collins’ reelection campaign in 2020 even though she was facing strong completion from a Democrat. Manchin said at the time, “I don’t think we should be campaigning against any colleagues, Democrat or Republican.”
