Sen. Joe Manchin Endorses GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (West Virginia) crossed party lines and officially endorsed Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) in a joint interview on Sunday.

“If these are good people I have 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?” Manchin said. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m a Democrat and they’re Republican or vice versa. They have been my dear friends, and we get a lot accomplished. And we — I think the country has fared better with us working together than not.”

Manchin and Murkowski appeared on CNN’s State of the Union to promote bipartisanship as Senate groups are in early talks of  Electoral Count Act reform.

Manchin previously endorsed Republican Sen. Susan Collins when she was up for reelection in Maine in 2020. Manchin added that it would be “hypocritical” to work alongside other lawmakers every day and then turn against them when elections roll around solely based on whether they have a D or R by their name.

Manchin and Murkowski have both challenged their parties on legislative issues – Manchin on President Joe Biden‘s Build Back Better Act and Murkowski in her effort to keep Obamacare in place in 2019.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, Murkowski’s challenger after Murkowski voted to convict him at his impeachment trial for his incitement of the January 6 Capitol attack. In the last three months of 2021, Tshibaka raised $601,000, while Murkowski brought in twice as much at $4.25 million.

Murkowski said she would endorse Manchin when he is up for reelection in 2024 if he decides to run again.