Susan Collins Not Jumping In Line Behind Trump, Says She’s ‘Glad’ Haley’s Staying in the Race

(Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) bucked the Republican trend to line up behind former President Donald Trump, saying she’s “glad” that Nikki Haley (R-SC) decided to stay in the race for the GOP nomination.

When asked if she’ll endorse Trump now that he has swept primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire, Collins replied: “I do not at this point.”

Instead, Collins had some encouraging words for Haley.

“I’m glad to hear last night that Nikki Haley is determined to stay in. 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,” Collins said.

Collins told The Hill that she didn’t formally endorse Haley at the outset of the race because she didn’t want to have to choose among other candidates she was “friendly with,” including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).

Collins came under fire after she voted to acquit Trump in his first impeachment trial, famously saying she believed he had “learned” from the ordeal.

In his second impeachment trial for inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Collins was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict.

Read more on Collins’ decision not to endorse Trump in The Hill.