Maine Sen. Susan Collins vows to vote for Nikki Haley in November instead of Trump or Biden

Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Friday said she would cast her ballot for former Ambassador Nikki Haley as a write-in, instead of former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden. 

Collins endorsed Haley for Republican nomination for president during the primaries, and previously claimed she would still not vote Trump even after Haley suspended her campaign. 

The Republican senator indicated that her decision should not surprise anyone given her previous statements, and said Haley remains her favorite candidate for the Oval Office. 

“I will not be voting for either candidate. I am going to write in Nikki Haley’s name," Collins told local reporters in Limerick, Maine. "Ultimately, I have to do what I think is right. I publicly endorsed Nikki Haley, and I wanted her to win. She’s still my favorite candidate, and I think she could do a great job. She’s my choice, and that’s how I’m going to express it.”

The Maine conservative was also among a handful of Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in 2021, over the events of the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.

Collins also commented on Biden's mental decline, which was widely panned after the first presidential debate last month, and said she felt "a sense of sadness" when watching the debate.

"I think all of us have had the experience when a loved one, or a coworker, or a close friend and seen cognitive decline," the senator said at a different event on Friday. "We know that it doesn't get better."

Biden's performance spurred calls from over a dozen Congressional Democrats for him to drop his reelection bid. But the president has been firm about staying in the race, claiming he remains the party's best chance at beating Trump in November.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.