Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee and a key figure in getting bills passed through Congress, says she will not endorse former President Trump, even if he becomes the Republican Party\u2019s nominee for president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked if she could see herself endorsing Trump if he wins the nomination, Collins replied: \u201cI do not at this point.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The highly respected Maine senator was one of seven Senate Republicans to vote to convict Trump on the impeachment charge of inciting insurrection during his second Senate trial in 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She expressed optimism about former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley\u2019s (R) chances of competing with Trump in a two-person race, even though Trump beat Haley by 11 points in Tuesday\u2019s New Hampshire primary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad to hear last night that Nikki Haley\u2002<\/u><\/a>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,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Collins said she didn\u2019t formally endorse Haley at the outset of the race because she was friendly with other candidates like former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) as well as with Haley and \u201cdidn\u2019t want to choose among them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n She played a key role in crafting the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress passed in 2021, which Trump opposed. She was also one of three Republican senators who voted to derail Trump\u2019s effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Collins made her remarks at a time when more and more GOP senators are lining up behind Trump\u2019s campaign, including Sen. John Cornyn\u2002<\/u><\/a>(Texas), who previously raised questions about Trump\u2019s viability in a general election. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cornyn, following the results of the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, said he would follow the will<\/u><\/a> of most Republican voters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have seen enough. To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it\u2019s clear that President Trump is Republican voters\u2019 choice,\u201d Cornyn wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will be continuing to work to elect a Republican Senate majority and to elect President Trump in 2024,\u201d he pledged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n