Maine U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, and West Virginia’s Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, will serve as honorary co-chairs of the bipartisan No Labels organization.

The organization is focused on bringing political leaders together to solve problems and avoid partisan politics.

Collins and Manchin appeared together in a pair of television interviews on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and CNN’s “New Day” Thursday discussing the need to “energize the middle.”

Collins has previously described herself as a “fanatical moderate.”

“What No Labels is trying to do – is to bring people together and energize the middle,” Collins said. “I don’t diminish the power of people in the Senate coming together, listening respectfully and trying to find common ground. And what we’re hoping to do with No Labels’ help is to institutionalize that.”

No Labels is a nonprofit organization formed in 2010 in hopes of building a “durable bipartisan bloc” of lawmakers in Congress. In 2017, the creation of the House Problem Solvers Caucus was largely a result of No Labels’ work.

No Labels is focused on a few key issues, including job creation, balancing the federal budget, securing Medicare and Social Security funding for the next 75 years and making the U.S. “energy secure” by 2024.

The organization steers clear of the most controversial political topics, including guns and abortion.

Scott Thistle can be contacted at 713-6720 or at:

sthistle@pressherald.com

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