One of the most competitive, expensive and high-profile Senate races next year will likely feature two candidates who will keep President Donald Trump at arms’ length — including the Republican candidate.In a Wednesday article for Semafor, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) — who represents a state that voted for Democratic candidates over Trump in all three of his presidential campaigns – explicitly stated she would not be asking the president to support her bid for another six-year term. Her comments were a stark contrast to those of her colleagues also running for reelection, who have embraced Trump and his policy agenda.”I’ve never had his endorsement and I’ve never sought it,” Maine’s senior U.S. senator told Semafor. “And I run my own race.”READ MORE: ‘They pulled it’: Republican takes credit for derailing confirmation of Trump Cabinet pickRepublicans will likely need Collins — who voted against Trump’s massive tax and spending bill and for his conviction in his 2021 impeachment trial — to keep her seat if they hope to remain in control of the U.S. Senate after the midterms. With a 53-47 majority, they can only afford to lose three incumbents in what is shaping up to be a high-turnout election for Democrats. The GOP’s small Senate majority may be why Trump is letting bygones be bygones with other Senate Republicans seeking reelection. Even though Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) both voted to convict Trump in his January 6 impeachment trial, Trump has offered his full support to both Republicans, which they have accepted. However, there could be a competition for Trump’s endorsement in the relatively purple states of Iowa and North Carolina.In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has yet to formally announce her intent to seek a third term, potentially due to the fallout over her comments dismissing the concerns of Hawkeye State residents who would lose their Medicaid coverage under Trump’s budget law. And in the Tar Heel State, outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) — who announced he would be retiring from the Senate after publicly coming out against the budget legislation — told Semafor that even if he was running for reelection, he wasn’t “sure that [Trump’s] endorsement would have helped me in a general election in North Carolina next year.”“I’m not sure that the president’s endorsement was something I would have sought this time. I didn’t seek it the last time, but it was helpful,” Tillis said. “And the fact that I would or would not get it had nothing to do with my decision to not run again.”READ MORE: ‘Deal with it’: Top Senate Republican gives Mike Johnson an ultimatum over Epstein scandalClick here to read Semafor’s full report in its entirety.
‘We can’t stand this’: Swing state MAGA voter losing patience with Trump
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