Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has said she will not endorse former president Donald Trump if he wins the GOP nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
As the Hill reported on Wednesday, when asked if she could envision supporting Trump if he secures the nomination, Collins said, "I do not at this point."
Trump edged out Republican running mate and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday; however, Haley had vowed to stay in the race for the nomination. Colling expressed approval at this decision, saying, “I’m glad to hear last night that Nikki Haley is determined to stay in [the race.] I think the more people see of her, particularly since she appears to be the only alternative to Donald Trump right now, the more impressed they will be."
As The Hill noted, Collins is a power player when it comes to having legislation passed in Congress, and was also one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump in 2021 in connection to inciting the deadly Capitol riots on Jan 6. Collins argued that the insurrection "was the culmination of a steady stream of provocations by President Trump," per Bangor Daily News. "My vote in this trial stems from my own duty to defend the Constitution of the United States," she said. "The abuse of power and betrayal of his oath by President Trump meet the constitutional standard of high crimes and misdemeanors."
The Maine senator was also one of three Republican senators who voted in opposition to Trump’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017. Collins's turning away from the former president is all the more noteworthy because, as The Hill pointed out, an increasing number of GOP senators are vocalizing support for Trump as the 2024 elections grow nearer.
