Overview
- On Monday, Manchin told CNBC he supports Sen. Susan Collins in Maine and former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan and said he will campaign for Collins.
- Collins welcomed Manchin’s backing and called him a trusted colleague, making their cooperation a visible boost for her reelection bid.
- Manchin said Rogers must repudiate President Trump’s tariff approach and embrace free trade to be competitive in Michigan.
- Both the Maine and Michigan contests are polling as close races that could determine which party controls the Senate in November.
- Manchin left the Democratic Party in 2025 and launched a July 2026 effort to elect independents, a strategy that now includes crossing party lines to support pragmatic Republicans and attract moderate voters.