Collins and Jackson Bring Longtime Rivals Manchin and AOC Into Maine Fight

Two famous political rivals are heading to Maine this week to help in one of the most important Senate races of the midterm elections. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, and Joe Manchin, a former senator from West Virginia, are on opposite sides of a tight contest. That race is between Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson. The two visitors have argued with each other for years about what the Democratic Party should stand for.

Manchin will campaign with Collins in Androscoggin County on Wednesday, while Ocasio-Cortez — often called AOC — will join Jackson in Portland on Thursday. The Maine Senate race matters because Democrats need to flip four seats to take control of the Senate from Republicans. Republicans currently hold a 53–47 majority, and Vice President JD Vance would break any tie, so Democrats need to win enough seats on their own.

Democrats believe Collins is one of their best chances to flip a Republican seat. Maine is a state that President Donald Trump lost in all three of his presidential races, including by 7 points in 2024. Many voters are worried about the economy, which has made things harder for Republicans across the country.

Still, Collins is a tough opponent. She has won past races even when her party was not popular in Maine, thanks to her friendly image and her work across party lines. She also chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, which controls government spending and gives her a lot of power to help Maine.

Manchin and Collins have been friends for years, even though they were in different parties when he was in the Senate. Both were known as political moderates — meaning they look for middle ground instead of extreme positions. Manchin once told The New York Times he had never worked with a 'more centrist, independent-minded person' than Collins.

AOC is set to speak at a town hall called 'Students vs. Billionaires' in Portland, and Jackson is also expected to attend. It would be the first time AOC has appeared at an event with Jackson. She is very popular with younger and more progressive voters.

Jackson has been critical of both Manchin and Collins. He wrote on social media that Manchin is 'a perfect example of the kind of broken status quo politics this movement is fighting like hell to put an end to.' He also called both Collins and Manchin fake moderates who he says work for 'the wealthy and the powerful.'

AOC and Manchin have clashed many times over the years. Their biggest early fight came in 2019 when AOC introduced the Green New Deal, a plan to fight climate change. Manchin rejected the idea on CNN, saying the country needed affordable and reliable energy and couldn't simply stop using coal, gas, and oil overnight.

Recent polls show the race is very close, with Jackson leading Collins by 2 to 4 points in several surveys. However, polls underestimated Collins in 2020, when she trailed in surveys but won reelection comfortably. Voters can cast ballots early through October 29, and Election Day is November 3.