Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday crossed party lines and officially announced that he is endorsing Republican colleague Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in her bid for reelection for the state’s Senate seat.
She is the only candidate facing re-election in the midterms this November, and a Democrat has yet to enter the race.
The Republican candidate currently faces GOP primary challenger Kelly Tshibaka, a former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner, who has support from former President Donald Trump as well as Alaska’s Republican party leaders.
“She knows I feel that way, too, very strongly,” Manchin continued. “It’s hypocritical to basically work with a person day in and day out, and then when they’re in cycle you’re supposed to be against them just because they have an R or D by their name. If these are good people I’ve worked with, we have accomplished a lot, why in the world wouldn’t I want to work with them and continue to work with them?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m a Democrat, and they’re a Republican, or vice versa,” he added. “They’ve been my dear friends, we get a lot accomplished and I think the country has fared better with us working together than not.”
Murkowski, who has been a member of the Senate since 2002, notably opposed Trump on several key issues, voting to convict him during his second impeachment trial in February for his alleged role in stoking the events of Jan. 6 at the Capitol. Trump has denied allegations he incited violence involving some protesters at the Capitol on that day.
Both Murkowski and Manchin have also supported legislation and issues that went against the trends in their parties.
In the past, she stood with Democrats to keep the Affordable Care Act during the Trump administration and was also the only Republican to vote in favor of Biden’s Justice Dept. nominee, Vanita Gupta.
This is not the first time that Manchin, one of the few moderates in his party, has offered campaign support to a Republican candidate.
Back in 2020, he endorsed and offered to campaign for Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
Murkowski said Sunday that she would also support Manchin, who blocked President Joe Biden’s social spending and climate package, due to concerns over inflation, should he choose to run for re-election in 2024.
“If he’s running, I’m endorsing him,” she said.
Meanwhile, Trump has endorsed Tshibaka over Murkowski in the Republican primary, saying that “Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska.”