Presque Isle, Maine, is the largest city in northern Maine, a state that's going to be absolutely critical to determining balance of power in the 2026 midterm elections.
There's hotly contested governor, congressional, and Senate races. Incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins is seeking reelection.
Scripps News is here to talk to voters, independent-minded voters, as previous elections have shown about what concerns them as they go in to vote in the midterm elections.
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Sen. Joe Manchin, who was a Democrat for the vast majority of his long political career, will come to Maine this week to campaign alongside Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Manchin endorsed Collins earlier in the election cycle and called the senator the soul of the Senate last month.
Susan Collins touts independence from Trump in first Maine Senate debateCollins is in the midst of a tough reelection fight against Democrat Troy Jackson. She is seeking her sixth term in office. Collins campaign confirmed on Monday that the senator and Manchin will appear together at an event in central Maine on Wednesday.
Manchin served in the Senate for more than 14 years as a Democrat before becoming an independent shortly before retiring from office. Like Collins, he was widely regarded as a moderate.
