In rare move, Bush endorses Maine Sen. Susan Collins

Former President George W. Bush on Friday endorsed Maine Sen. Susan Collins, calling her "honest" and "forthright" as well as "pretty darned independent," a nod to the senator's well-known bipartisan streak in the Senate. 

Bush, who has kept a low political profile since leaving the White House in 2009, said on Friday that Collins "brings dignity into a world that has gotten really ugly. The political world is uglier than I can ever remember it."

Collins, meanwhile, expressed "great admiration for President Bush and Laura Bush."

"To have their support means the world to me," she added.

Collins as of yet remains un-endorsed by President Trump, even as the race for her fifth term in the Senate could prove crucial for Republicans hoping to hold onto their majority in that body. 

The senator famously refused to vote for Trump in 2016, claiming he did "not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country." She has since declined to say whether she voted for him in the Maine primary this year, or whether she will vote for him in November.