These women are the Senate's new center of power

• If Vice President Harris wins the White House, the two senators will be Democrats' go-to votes to get judges and top officials confirmed.
• If former President Trump wins, Mitch McConnell's successor as Senate GOP leader — John Thune, John Cornyn or someone else — will need Collins and Murkowski on board to pass their legislative agenda.

Zoom in: Collins and Murkowski will be two of only three GOP senators left who voted to convict Trump in an impeachment trial. Neither have endorsed him this year, and they haven't shied away from criticism.

• Each has voted in line with GOP colleagues only around 36% of the time this year, mostly helping Democrats get judicial nominations through. It's a far lower percentage than any other senator, according to CQ's VoteWatch.
• Collins "believes generally that presidents are due some deference when it comes to nominations," spokesperson Annie Clark told Axios.
• They have been particularly willing to break with the GOP on reproductive rights issues. They voted this month with Democrats for legislation to ensure access to IVF.

What they're saying: "The best in the world," Manchin — who's retiring after this year — said of Collins and Murkowski in a conversation with Axios.

• "It's important for people to be able to speak your own mind and be able to not be coerced by the party system."
• Manchin added the two of them will be "extremely, extremely, extremely important" in the next Congress, depending on how the Nov. 5 election turns out.
• If one party wins total government control "and reconciliation is on the table, it's very possible that one or two people will be able to dramatically impact policy," retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah.) told Axios in a short interview.

Romney listed Collins and Murkowski as people he views as willing to work across the aisle and get things done, as opposed to "people who just want to fight and make noise."

Zoom out: The number of wild card votes in the Senate is dwindling with Manchin, Romney and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz) on their way out.

• Things are also looking precarious for Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who is now the underdog in his re-election fight vs. GOP challenger Tim Sheehey.
• Still, Romney pointed to Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jerry Moran (R-Kans.) — as well as Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) — as others who have "proven that they're not allergic to legislating."

• Others could join their ranks, such as Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), who will take Romney's seat, and former Gov. Larry Hogan, who is running a longshot bid for a seat in Maryland.

The big picture: Manchin served as a serious check on President Biden's congressional plans — blocking efforts to nuke the filibuster and forcing a spending limit on the Build Back Better plan.

• If Trump wins in November, he could face similar roadblocks on legislation or controversial Cabinet picks — or even more Supreme Court appointments.
• Collins will have particular power, being in line to chair the Appropriations Committee in a GOP majority.

What to watch: Collins is up for re-election in 2026, and Axios is already hearing from sources speculating about whether the 71-year-old will stick around for another term.

• If she does not, she may feel even more free to vote her conscience and leave a legacy in her last Congress.
• If she does, she'll still need to thread the needle in Maine, which voted for Biden by a healthy nine percentage points in 2020.
• "She has been in the position of being one of the potential swing votes throughout her entire time in the Senate, and Senator Collins will not be changing her well-established approach," Clark added.