Joe Manchin says he supports Republican candidates in battleground Senate races in Maine and Michigan

Andy Kropa/Invision/AP/File

Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent, said Monday he supports two Republican Senate candidates running in battleground races in November.

During an appearance on CNBC , Manchin expressed support for former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running for an open seat in Michigan, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is seeking reelection. Both races are crucial to whether the GOP will retain control of the Senate.

“You lose the Susan Collinses of the Senate, you’re losing the soul of the Senate — basically, a person you can talk to, who wants to do the right thing all of the time,” Manchin said, adding that he would campaign with the senator.

Manchin, a longtime critic of extremes in both parties, served in the Senate from 2010-2025 and left the Democratic Party during his final months in office, arguing that the party’s brand had become “toxic.” He has remained involved in politics and launched a national effort in July to help elect more independents.

In the CNBC interview, Manchin praised Collins, Rogers and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who is not up for reelection until 2028, as “independent, free-thinking Republicans, not completely crazy right or completely crazy left.”

Manchin previously crossed party lines as a Democrat in the Senate to support Collins in her last reelection campaign.

As for Michigan, Manchin said he hasn’t made any endorsements but called Rogers a “personal friend” and expressed a preference for him as the show’s host asked about Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, an outspoken progressive.

“I do support Mike Rogers,” Manchin said. “I think Mike Rogers is a good person. I think he’ll do a great job.”

At the same time, Manchin said Rogers “has to” denounce President Donald Trump’s trade policies to win his race, something the candidate has not done. “We’ll have to see,” Manchin said.

In Maine, Collins faces Democrat Troy Jackson, the former state Senate president who replaced embattled nominee Graham Platner on the ballot, as she fights for a sixth term in a state that Trump has lost three times. She highlighted Manchin’s remarks on social media and in a news release and said she was “honored” to have his support.

“Joe is a dear friend and trusted colleague with whom I have always worked closely to solve problems and deliver results for the people of Maine and America,” Collins said.

In CNN polling released Wednesday , both the Maine and Michigan races were close, with no clear leader among likely voters.

Andy Kropa/Invision/AP/档案照片

前西弗吉尼亚州参议员乔·曼钦（Joe Manchin）曾是民主党人，后转为独立人士。他周一表示，他支持两名共和党参议员候选人参加11月在关键州举行的选举。

曼钦在接受CNBC采访时表示支持前众议员迈克·罗杰斯（Mike Rogers）和缅因州参议员苏珊·柯林斯（Susan Collins）。罗杰斯正在竞选密歇根州的一个空缺席位，而柯林斯则寻求连任。这两场选举对于共和党能否继续掌控参议院至关重要。

“如果你失去了像苏珊·柯林斯这样的参议员，你就失去了参议院的灵魂——基本上，就是失去了一个你可以与之交谈、始终想做正确事情的人，”曼钦说道，并补充说他将与这位参议员一起竞选。

曼钦长期以来一直批评两党的极端主义，他于2010年至2025年担任参议员，并在任期最后几个月退出了民主党，理由是该党的形象已经变得“有毒”。他一直积极参与政治活动，并于7月发起了一项全国性运动，旨在帮助更多独立候选人当选。

在接受 CNBC 采访时，曼钦称赞柯林斯、罗杰斯和阿拉斯加州共和党参议员丽莎·穆尔科斯基（她要到 2028 年才面临连任选举）是“独立、自由思考的共和党人，既不是完全疯狂的右派，也不是完全疯狂的左派”。

曼钦此前曾作为民主党参议员跨越党派界限，支持柯林斯参加她上次的连任竞选。

至于密歇根州，曼钦表示他没有做出任何背书，但称罗杰斯是他的“私人朋友”，并在节目主持人问及民主党候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德（一位直言不讳的进步派人士）时，表达了对罗杰斯的偏好。

“我支持迈克·罗杰斯，”曼钦说。“我认为迈克·罗杰斯是个好人。我相信他会做得很好。”

与此同时，曼钦表示，罗杰斯“必须”谴责唐纳德·特朗普总统的贸易政策才能赢得竞选，而这位候选人至今尚未这样做。“我们拭目以待，”曼钦说道。

在缅因州，柯林斯将迎战民主党候选人特洛伊·杰克逊，这位前州参议院议长取代了陷入困境的候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳，代表该州参选。柯林斯正力争第六个任期，而特朗普已在该州三次败北。她在社交媒体和新闻稿中强调了曼钦的言论，并表示“荣幸”得到他的支持。

“乔是我的挚友和值得信赖的同事，我一直与他密切合作，为缅因州和美国的人民解决问题并取得成果，”柯林斯说。

CNN周三公布的民调显示，缅因州和密歇根州的选情都很胶着，在可能投票的选民中没有明显的领先者。