Schumer ‘crazy’ to target Collins, Manchin says

Former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) went after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) over targeting Sen. Susan Collins (R) in the Maine Senate election this year.

“I told him he was crazy in 2020 from working against her so hard, and he’s crazy now to work against her,” Manchin said on Wednesday in a clip from Fox News.

“This is not right. She is the soul of America. She is the soul of the Senate, and he knows he needs more Susan Collinses, no matter what side of the aisle they’re on. This is ridiculous,” he added.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, has taken aim at Collins in Maine. Schumer is the leader of the DSCC.

Collins has been widely seen as the most vulnerable GOP senator running for reelection. She’s running in a state that President Trump has lost for three consecutive presidential elections.

In a recent Washington Post-Schar School poll, Collins trailed Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in her campaign for a sixth term. The poll found Jackson, formerly the president of the Maine Senate, ahead of Collins 50 percent to 46 percent among voters in the Pine Tree State.

The Cook Political Report rates the Maine Senate race as a toss-up. The Hill’s polling partner Decision Desk HQ shows Jackson with a 49.6 percent chance of winning, compared with 47.4 percent for Collins.

Manchin last month endorsed Collins, saying at the time that “you lose the Susan Collinses of the Senate, you’re losing the soul of the Senate — basically, a person you can talk to, who wants to do the right thing all of the time.”

“Now, everybody says, ‘Oh, she doesn’t do this, doesn’t speak up.’ Susan is always in there, always in the trenches,” added Manchin, who served much of his career in the Senate as a Democrat.

Republicans are facing an uphill battle in the 2026 midterms, with issues like the unpopular war in Iran, President Trump’s sagging approval rating and concerns about the cost of living weighing on the GOP as Election Day nears.

The Hill has reached out to the DSCC for comment.