MANCHESTER, N.H. - Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says she is helping President Donald Trump choose his next press secretary after his first pick for the job lasted just five days.

"I've offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well," Leavitt said Wednesday evening in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Leavitt served as Trump's press secretary from the start of the president's second term until Aug. 27, when she stepped down from the demanding role to spend more time with her two young children, including a daughter who was born in May.

Her successor, political commentator Katie Zacharia, took over earlier this month, but lasted just five days in the role, making her the shortest-serving White House press secretary in U.S. history.

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"White House press secretary is a tough job. I know that because I did it, obviously for almost two years, and many people say it's one of the hardest jobs in politics," Leavitt emphasized.

She noted that the job "takes a lot of preparation and sometimes you don't know how someone will perform until they go out there."

"We wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well," Leavitt added.

When it comes to whom Trump will choose next for the position, Leavitt said the president "is continuing to look over options. There's a lot of people who want that job. It's an amazing job. It provides you with incredible opportunities."

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Asked what advice she's offered to Trump, Leavitt said, "I'll keep my private counsel to the president private, but I do obviously talk to him about what the job entails, and he knows it very well."

"Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight," she added.

Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, served as an intern in the Trump White House after graduating from Saint Anselm College in 2019. She later became an assistant White House press secretary at the end of Trump's first term.

After Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Leavitt worked as communications director for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. She then served as spokeswoman for the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. before taking over as press secretary for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

After being named White House press secretary following the 2024 election, Leavitt made history as the youngest person ever in the role.

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Leavitt also ran for Congress in 2022, winning a heavily contested GOP nomination in New Hampshire's 1st District before losing the general election to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

Asked if she might make another run for public office in her home state when Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan is up for re-election in 2028, Leavitt quickly said, "No, I'm all set. I don't have any plans to run for office in the near future at all, or in the future at all."

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"I am home with my family, and we're really excited about that," she explained. "Right now I'm really focused on being a wife and a mother to my two very young children. That's why I made the decision to leave Washington. So we're just happy to be home and enjoying the ride."

Leavitt officially becomes a Fox News contributor at the start of November.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton sparred over President Donald Trump, immigration, Iran, transgender athletes, artificial intelligence and personal controversies during a contentious Kansas Senate debate Wednesday night.

The hourlong showdown came less than two weeks before Election Day as Marshall seeks a second term and Hamilton, a longtime pastor, tries to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas since 1932.

The race has drawn increased national attention as Republicans and Democrats battle for control of the Senate, with Trump traveling to Kansas earlier this week to campaign for Marshall — a topic touched on during the debate.

Here are five moments that stood out from Wednesday night's debate.

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Debate opens with candidates confronted over personal controversies

The debate wasted little time getting contentious, opening with questions about controversies that have fueled attacks against both candidates.

Marshall was confronted with a New York Times review that found his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills.

"Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business," Marshall responded. "We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric."

Hamilton, meanwhile, was questioned about his handling of allegations involving a volunteer at his church's summer camp who was accused of sexual abuse.

Hamilton acknowledged that he should have ensured the individual did not return to the camp following an initial investigation.

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"I should have checked to make sure that he wasn't going back," Hamilton said. "That was a mistake on my part."

Marshall says 'President Trump is not always right'

Trump became part of the debate after moderators played footage from the president's campaign appearance for Marshall in Kansas earlier in the week.

"And at this election, I'm asking you to pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Just pretend," Trump told the crowd.

Marshall was then asked whether Trump's support meant Kansans should expect him to back every part of the president's agenda.

"No," Marshall responded, saying there had been "multiple times" when he objected to Trump.

Pressed to identify a specific disagreement, Marshall pointed to recent immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and Trump's approach to beef imports.

"Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right," Marshall joked. "And President Trump is not always right."

Marshall nevertheless urged Trump voters to turn out for him, arguing that electing Hamilton could help Democrats capture the Senate.

Both candidates say there are 'two genders'

The two rivals found themselves in agreement when the moderator asked each candidate how many genders there are.

"There's two. There's a boy and there's a girl," Marshall said. "I delivered 5,000 of them and almost half were boys and half were girls."

"There are two genders, male and female," Hamilton responded.

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The candidates then turned to the debate over transgender participation in women's sports.

Hamilton said decisions over athletic eligibility should generally be made locally but was unequivocal about whether biological males should compete against females.

"I have a 12-year-old granddaughter. I don't want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her," Hamilton said. "It's not a fair, fair fight."

Marshall argued that by high school, "boys need to be in boys sports, girls in girls sports," while accusing national Democrats of pushing "transgender ideology."

Hamilton later accused Marshall of using the issue to "pick on" and "bully" people.

Hamilton calls AI an 'existential threat' — but can't name regulations he'd support

Hamilton called for greater federal oversight of artificial intelligence and compared the emerging technology to the development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons.

"We developed a Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We need to do the same thing with AI," Hamilton said.

But when the moderator pressed him to identify specific federal regulations he would support, Hamilton acknowledged he did not yet have an answer.

"You know what? I'm not sure, to be honest," Hamilton said, arguing that even experts are struggling to understand the technology's potential dangers.

Marshall advocated a "light touch" approach focused on national security, transparency, protecting children and privacy, while slamming a one-size-fits-all global order for artificial intelligence advancement.

Hamilton pushed back sharply.

"This is an existential — potential existential threat to the human race," Hamilton said. "We can't just go with a light touch and hope everybody does their best."

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Hamilton calls Biden's border policies a 'disaster'

Hamilton sought to put distance between himself and former President Joe Biden when moderators challenged the Democrat over his claim that he would "lead from the middle."

The moderator pointed to Hamilton's past donations to Democrats, including Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., before asking him to identify a progressive policy he opposed.

"The Biden policies when it came to the border were a disaster," Hamilton responded. "I believe in strong and secure borders."

"I'm not somebody who favors the Socialist Party," Hamilton added. "I'm somebody who stands in the middle."

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Hamilton also reiterated during the debate that he would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for majority leader if Democrats capture control of the chamber.

Regardless of the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections, any party that wins the majority will have done so because of the independent vote. For the past several elections, this cohort has been the crucial swing vote that ultimately decides the election. Independents are the kingmakers.

If Democrats win big on Nov. 3, expect a familiar story. Pundits will call it a mandate. Party leaders will say voters want their agenda. They will be wrong.

I have spent my career in partisan politics, and I keep seeing the same mistake. Both parties read the results of a protest as an endorsement.

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Here is why. Independents do not fit neatly into a partisan box. They are not secret Democrats, and they are not secret Republicans. They agree with each side on some things and with neither on others, which is exactly why neither party can claim them.

That does not mean they lack convictions. Independents, like most Americans, have coherent views on politics and policy. And these positions are widely shared and present opportunity for meaningful legislation. On energy, 70% of Americans want government to actively expand supply: more energy, lower prices, less pollution. On immigration, 77% want legal immigration maintained or expanded, focused on the skills the economy needs. Respect our laws and welcome those who contribute.

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On technology, 83% want parents to have the legal right to see and control what their kids do on social media. On spending, 73% want to bar Congress from using accounting tricks that hide the long-term cost of a bill. On corruption, 78% support term limits for members of Congress.

Put those together and the agenda is clear. Live within our means. Keep our promises. Win the future while protecting our communities, kids and liberties. Build a government accountable to people, not parties. That is not the progressive wish list, and it is not the Republican platform either. A vote against whoever is in charge is not a vote for anyone’s program. It is a demand for these things.

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Look at what independents are actually upset about. The border is still unresolved after years of promises. Energy costs keep squeezing family budgets. And artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping jobs and daily life while Congress offers speeches instead of a plan. These are not left or right complaints. They are complaints about people in charge who are not getting results.

Independents are now the largest bloc of American voters. They decide close elections, and they have no loyalty to either team. They vote for whoever seems least likely to make things worse. Two years ago, that was one party. This year it may be the other.

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The numbers tell the story. Roughly two-thirds of independents say Washington does not hear them. That is not a number that describes people who have found a new political home. It describes people who feel abandoned and are looking for the exit.

For a blue wave to occur, it will rest on independents who are holding their noses. They will be voting for Democrats because the alternative looks worse, not because they have embraced the progressive wish list. Treating that vote as a blank check is how a party loses the same voters two years later.

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Consider crime. Most Americans, whatever their party, want safe streets and a justice system that works. Imagine House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stepping to the microphone to announce a serious, commonsense crime bill. Fund good policing. Go after repeat violent offenders. Protect due process. It would not be a radical idea. It would be a reasonable one.

That single act would change the national story. Independents would take notice. It would say the party is willing to govern from the center and listen to people who do not agree with it on everything.

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But that bill will not come, and the reason is not hard to see. A party that wants the support of the middle is being pulled by a left flank that treats a compromise on public safety as betrayal. Groups like the Democratic Socialists of America hold enormous sway over the energy and the primaries. Jeffries cannot move toward the center without a fight inside his own coalition, and so he does not try.

That is the real danger for Democrats. The very independents who may hand them a majority will be watching to see what they do with it. If the answer is a sharp turn toward the activist left, those voters will leave just as fast as they arrived.

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Republicans should not take comfort either. If they lose, it will be because they too failed to listen. Both parties have spent years competing for the loyal base and ignoring everyone else. The result is a country in which most voters feel they are choosing between two disappointments.

There is a better path, and it is not complicated. Secure the border and fix the legal immigration system. Lower energy costs by building what we need. Set sensible guardrails on AI before the technology outruns us. Do these things in a way that respects voters of every stripe, and independents will reward you. Ignore them, and they will punish you, whatever letter follows your name.

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This is why just a few handfuls of independents can entirely change the way we view and conduct politics. A growing share of the country is independent, yet very few members of Congress are. That gap is the story behind the story this November.

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When the votes are counted, the winners should ask a hard question. Did voters choose us, or did they simply reject the other side? The honest answer will decide whether this election is a turning point or just another swing of the pendulum.

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The Republican and Democratic candidates vying to replace Minnesota's outgoing Gov. Tim Walz sparred in their final debate Wednesday over the massive fraud scandal that has unfolded in the state, healthcare and rising gas prices.

MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL

"A vote for Amy Klobuchar is a vote for a Tim Walz third term," Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in her opening statement after painting Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar as the "status quo" candidate in a "state in crisis" over the $9 billion fraud scandal.

Klobuchar pushed back in her opening statement, saying, "I don't like the status quo. I hate the status quo."

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The first question of the debate focused on fraud, a recurring topic throughout the night, and what each candidate would do to combat it.

"Fraud unchecked here in the state of Minnesota has gone far too long, and it has finally come to the surface," Demuth said. "The thing that I will do on day one is I am going to be firing all commissioners, choosing new commissioners that are expert in their field that will carry out the accountability and transparency that is needed in our state. We have to change the culture of fraud."

Klobuchar attempted to distance herself from Walz when addressing the issue.

"The fraud is simply unacceptable and, as a former prosecutor, I'm going to send those fraudsters to jail," Klobuchar said. "Tim Walz should have caught the fraud earlier and he should have done more. He said it himself. And by the way, when my opponent references Tim Walz, I will say one thing. He is not seeking a third term. I am the one up here."

Fraud came up again later in the debate, with Demuth criticizing Klobuchar's close relationship with Walz.

"You have not heard my opponent differ from one policy bill that Tim Walz, who she calls an incredible governor, has allowed to go forward," Demuth said. "I would love to hear one bill, one area, childcare, fraudulent funding. I would love to hear that. If she is separating herself specifically from Tim Walz, Tim Walz allowed the childcare fraud and other fraud here in the state of Minnesota to explode to $9 billion, never firing any of his commissioners or agency employees. But yet you have someone standing here tonight that is supporting everything from the incredible governor, as she has said he is."

Klobuchar responded, "Rewind the tape on this debate please; you will see exactly how I said I differed from Tim Walz."

RISING GAS PRICES

In another tense moment, the candidates turned to rising gas prices, with Klobuchar attempting to link Demuth to the policies of the Trump administration.

"I can tell you the fastest way to bring down your gas prices, and that is to stop this War in Iran," Klobuchar said. "That is it, beginning, middle and end. And when you look at what my opponent brings up, when we had a debate earlier this week, she actually brought up and blamed it on the Keystone pipeline. Then she blamed the healthcare costs on Barack Obama. I don't know what will be next. Maybe Thomas Jefferson, but what I know is that Minnesotans understand what's happened at the pump."

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Demuth blamed high costs in Minnesota on the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party's (DFL) control of state government.

"We can talk about that Keystone pipeline that my opponent has voted against. That would have brought in 830,000 barrels of oil. It would have helped with the supply that we have here, yet she voted against it," Demuth said. "But you have to ask yourself, why are things so expensive here in Minnesota? They are expensive because of overspending by a one-party control in 2023 and 2024. I will bring down prices. I will right-size our state budget and make sure that you can afford your lives, that you can grow, thrive, and businesses will be coming to Minnesota to provide the jobs that are needed. It's common sense, and that's the decision that you have to make as you're looking to this election this year."

HEALTHCARE COSTS AND INSULIN PRICES

As Minnesotans continue to grapple with rising healthcare costs, the two candidates sparred over ObamaCare, which Klobuchar voted for in the U.S. Senate.

"It's important to realize that we're looking at all of the inputs and all of the reasons why our healthcare is more expensive," Demuth said. "Senator Klobuchar supported the Affordable Care Act. She promised that it would bring down our healthcare. Unfortunately, we have seen anything but all of our healthcare since the Affordable Care Act has increased the healthcare cost to all Minnesotans."

Klobuchar didn't address ObamaCare in her response, instead pointing to Demuth's position on abortion and accusing the Republican of being beholden to Big Pharma.

"You've heard from my opponent that, I don't support certain things in healthcare, she's talking about issues that are already settled," Demuth said. "I think it's quite rich to hear the fact that she is the one that broke the healthcare system as the deciding vote on the Affordable Care Act."

During the healthcare discussion, Klobuchar argued that Demuth has not done enough to lower insulin prices and cited the support she has received from the family of Alex Smith, a 26-year-old Minnesotan who died while struggling to afford his insulin treatments.

"Just to clarify a very incorrect or untruthful lie that you just heard was the fact that I did vote yes for the Alex Smith insulin bill," Demuth responded. "Back in April of 2020. The governor signed it into law the very next day."

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Klobuchar, who was first elected to the Senate in 2006, won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including her 2024 reelection by nearly 16 points. Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was elected twice as county attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota's most populous. She also ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Demuth, who was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2018, has served as GOP leader in the chamber since the start of 2023 and as speaker for the past year and a half.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton repeatedly sought to distance themselves from the most unpopular elements of their respective parties Wednesday night during a contentious Kansas Senate debate.

Both candidates battled over President Donald Trump, immigration, the war in Iran and more in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.

The debate opened on a personal note, with both candidates pressed over controversies that have fueled attack ads in the closing weeks of the campaign.

Marshall was questioned about a New York Times review that found his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills. The Republican defended the practice while emphasizing the millions of dollars in free care his practice provided.

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"Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business," Marshall said. "We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric."

Hamilton, meanwhile, was questioned about his handling of allegations involving a volunteer at his church's summer camp alleged to have been a sexual predator. Hamilton acknowledged that he should have ensured the individual did not return to the camp after an initial investigation.

"I should have checked to make sure that he wasn't going back," Hamilton said. "That was a mistake on my part."

The candidates spent much of the rest of the debate trying to define each other by their respective national parties.

Marshall repeatedly warned that electing Hamilton would help hand control of the Senate to Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while Hamilton sought to portray himself as an independent-minded Democrat willing to break with his party.

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That divide came into focus when the moderator played footage of Trump campaigning for Marshall in Kansas earlier this week and telling voters to "pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot."

Asked whether that meant he would support every part of Trump's agenda, Marshall said no and pointed to recent disagreements involving immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and beef imports.

"Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right," Marshall joked. "And President Trump is not always right."

Nevertheless, Marshall emphasized his support for much of Trump's agenda and urged the president's supporters to turn out for him.

"We need the Trump voters to come out," Marshall said. "If you want the Trump agenda to continue, if you want secure borders, if you want a strong military, if you want lower taxes, then you — and you voted for President Trump — you need to come out."

Hamilton faced a similar challenge when moderators pressed him over his past support for Democrats and his campaign message of "leading from the middle."

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The Democratic nominee explicitly broke with former President Joe Biden over immigration.

"The Biden policies when it came to the border were a disaster," Hamilton said. "I believe in strong and secure borders."

Hamilton also said he would not support Schumer for majority leader if Democrats win control of the Senate.

The debate did produce an unusual moment of agreement when both candidates were asked how many genders there are.

"There's two. There's a boy and there's a girl," Marshall said.

"There are two genders, male and female," Hamilton responded.

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Hamilton later said he did not want biological males competing against his 12-year-old granddaughter in sports, calling it "not a fair fight," while arguing that decisions over athletic participation should generally be handled locally rather than by the federal government.

The Kansas contest has emerged as an unexpectedly competitive Senate race in the closing weeks of the midterms. Marshall is seeking a second term in a state that has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1932, while Hamilton, a longtime pastor, has campaigned as a moderate Democrat.

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Trump traveled to Kansas Monday to campaign for Marshall as Republicans work to defend the seat with control of the Senate at stake.

President Donald Trump was the unofficial third person on stage at Wednesday's Michigan U.S. Senate debate, as Democrat Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly invoked him while seeking to cast Republican Mike Rogers as Trump's "sock puppet."

El-Sayed mentioned Trump 18 times during the hour-long debate and repeatedly called Rogers' responses "MAGA bingo," accusing the Republican of relying on Trump-aligned talking points. Rogers, however, broke with Trump on a couple of trade issues.

The phrase became a running theme throughout the night, with El-Sayed declaring "MAGA bingo" after Rogers accused him of supporting socialist policies, open borders and defunding the police. Rogers eventually turned the attack back on his opponent, suggesting that the real bingo game was every time El-Sayed included Trump in his answer.

Rogers, however, did not align with Trump on every issue. He split with Trump on trade, calling the president's tariffs a "mixed bag" and saying tariffs on Canada may have been "not well thought through."

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He also opposed Chinese automakers building vehicles in the United States, saying during the debate that Congress should ban the ability for the Chinese to build cars in the United States. El-Sayed countered by pointing out that Trump has said he would be open to Chinese automakers building vehicles in the United States and questioned whether Rogers would stand up to Trump on the issue.

WATCH: ROGERS CALLS TRUMP TRADE AGENDA A ‘MIXED BAG’:

Wednesday evening marked the second debate between El-Sayed and Rogers, just weeks before Michigan's midterm election. 

The battle for the swing state's open Senate seat has drawn national attention not only because it could help determine control of the upper chamber, but because it has emerged as a major test of the Democratic Party's progressive wing in a key battleground state.

El-Sayed, backed by progressive heavyweights including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has campaigned on a progressive agenda that includes Medicare for All, higher taxes on the wealthy, ending U.S. military aid to Israel and abolishing ICE.

While El-Sayed worked to paint Rogers as a Trump-aligned "corporate politician," Rogers repeatedly branded his Democratic opponent as having a "pattern of deception," accusing him of misrepresenting his record and shifting his positions.

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Throughout the debate, Rogers cast El-Sayed as being outside the political mainstream, tying the Democrat and his policies to the Democratic Socialists of America and hammering him over his past support for defunding the police.

Rogers also claimed that some of El-Sayed's donors and supporters were tied to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood. 

At one point, Rogers questioned El-Sayed's allegiance to the country after accusing El-Sayed of having donors tied to Hamas, asking, "Are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?" 

The most contentious moment of the debate came during a question on public safety, when Rogers hammered El-Sayed over his past support for defunding the police, accused him of deleting social media posts on the issue and pointed to El-Sayed's past comments involving former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who was backed by the Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Sayed fired back that it was "beneath" Rogers to question his commitment to the Constitution, declaring that he was "proud to be an American" and calling Rogers’ line of questioning "shameful."

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El-Sayed, a Muslim and first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Egypt, has faced scrutiny over his rhetoric on the war in Gaza and his positions on Israel, leading some members of Michigan's Jewish community to openly disavow the Democratic candidate. During the debate, Rogers said that his campaign was doing well with the Jewish community, which he claimed is fearful of El-Sayed's rhetoric. 

Rogers said that El-Sayed was too "extreme" for Michigan, pointing to prominent Democrats who said they can't back the party's nominee, including the former Michigan Democratic Party chairman and the former finance chair for Sen. Elissa Slotkin's campaign.

Michigan Republicans echoed that argument following the debate, pointing out that El-Sayed used to campaign with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said that America deserved the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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"We cannot afford Abdul El-Sayed's far-left, big-government policies, and we cannot risk electing a person who campaigns with the likes of Hasan Piker and seemingly justified the horrific terrorist attack targeting children and the Jewish community in Bloomfield Hills," MIGOP Chairman Jim Runestad said in a statement.

LEWISTON, MAINE – Former Sen. Joe Manchin, a longtime Democrat turned independent, took aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday for trying to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, calling his former party leader's efforts "crazy" as he joined Collins on the campaign trail in her high-stakes re-election race.

Collins, a moderate Republican who at times has voted against President Donald Trump and her party, is fighting for her political life as she runs for a sixth six-year term representing blue-leaning Maine in the Senate. She is the only GOP senator seeking re-election in a state Trump lost in the 2024 election.

The race between Collins and Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, is a top flip opportunity for Democrats as they try to win back the Senate majority from Republicans in the midterm elections. The latest public opinion polls indicate a margin-of-error showdown, and the latest Fox News Power Rankings rate the race as a toss-up, as do leading nonpartisan political handicappers the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball.

Manchin, who worked closely with Collins during his years in the Senate, was asked by Fox News Digital how his campaigning with his former colleague would sit with Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber.

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"Chuck Schumer would not be surprised of me being with my dear friend. There is no surprise there at all. I told him he was crazy in 2020 from working against her so hard and he’s crazy now to work against her," Manchin said, as he referred to unsuccessful efforts by Democrats to defeat Collins in her re-election six years ago, and their current push to oust her.

Manchin emphasized, "This is not right. She is the soul of America. She is the soul of the Senate, and he knows he needs more Susan Collins, no matter what side of the aisle they’re on. This is ridiculous."

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer's political team and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for a comment but did not receive a response at the time this story was published.

A former West Virginia governor who served in the Senate from 2010 to 2025, Manchin frequently broke with his party, frustrating Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as Schumer and other Senate Democratic leaders.

As he works to oust Collins from the Senate, Jackson has repeatedly tried to anchor the senator to Trump, who has seen his approval ratings in Maine and across the country drop further underwater.

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But Manchin said that Collins is "not a Trump senator. She's not a Republican senator or a Democrat senator. She's an American senator that represents her state of Maine ... the most independent minded person I've ever met."

Collins noted that "Joe and I were part of every bipartisan initiative that passed the Senate and became law during the years that we worked together ... I just so enjoy our partnership in getting things done for Maine, for West Virginia and for America."

Manchin and Collins spoke with reporters after meeting with restaurant workers and customers at Simones' Hot Dog Stand, a famed local eatery in downtown Lewiston that's been serving customers for a century. It was the first of two campaign stops in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, a key swing district.

Collins and Jackson last week faced off on the debate stage for the fourth and final time. The senator used the debates to showcase how her Senate seniority has helped her deliver federal funding for Maine. Meanwhile, Jackson used the showdowns to position himself as an outsider who understands the struggles and frustrations of working-class voters.

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Jackson won a special nominating convention in late July to claim the party's Senate nomination, which was left vacant after primary winner Graham Platner ended his campaign following allegations he raped a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the allegations but dropped out.

Jackson, who earlier this year unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, had campaigned alongside Platner during the primary campaign.

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Collins, meanwhile, has a history of surviving Democratic efforts to unseat her.

Six years ago, she trailed Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the Maine House speaker at the time, but Collins won re-election by nearly nine points while former President Joe Biden carried the state by a similar margin.

Fox News' Kailey Schuyler contributed to this story.

FREMONT, Neb. — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is predicting Republicans will outperform the polls and retain their narrow Senate majority, even as GOP-aligned groups pull millions of dollars from struggling candidates and redirect resources to races that have suddenly become more competitive.

Thune has been crisscrossing the country campaigning for vulnerable Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 election. He’s confident that they can hold onto their slim, 53-to-47-seat majority in the Senate but acknowledges that the GOP as a whole faces headwinds.

And as Election Day inches closer and closer, several contests across the country have tightened, like in Kansas, while others may be slipping away from Republicans, like in North Carolina or Georgia.

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Thune, in an interview with Fox News Digital on the trail supporting Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., was still optimistic about the GOP’s chances.

"I think there are a lot of races right now just looking at the polling that are up for grabs," Thune said. "I mean you could call them jump balls, however you want to say it. They're margin of error races, and there are some that are maybe a little out of the margin. But I do think the polling right now, like it has been in past elections, under-reflects the Republican vote."

"And I think you'll see some of that. So we're not giving up on any of them," he continued.

Republicans are hoping to defend six toss-up races this cycle, according to Cook Political Report. And several that earlier appeared as safe bets, like Mississippi and South Carolina, have recently shifted more favorably towards Democrats.

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The flow of campaign cash has been staggering during this midterm cycle, with Republican political action committees (PACs) and outside groups dumping hundreds of millions of dollars in key races across the country.

But where the money is being shifted could be more telling.

Earlier this month, the Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC closely aligned with Thune, moved money from Georgia to Kansas, where Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is locked in one of the more unexpected toss-up contests of the cycle.

The Senate Leadership Fund had initially pledged $44 million to bolster Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in his quest to topple Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. But the incumbent first-term senator has been raking in campaign donations and consistently led Collins in polling.

DEMOCRATS SEE NEW CHANCES TO FLIP RED STATES — BUT A $400M GOP SPENDING ADVANTAGE COULD DERAIL THEIR PLANS

And in North Carolina, where former Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Michael Whatley is running to keep retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat red against former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, outside funding has begun to dissipate.

The Senate Leadership Fund similarly pulled back nearly all of its spending in the state earlier this month, a sign that confidence in Whatley’s ability to best Cooper was waning. Even President Donald Trump, who held a rally for Whatley on Tuesday, is worried about the race.

"I think he’s a great man, and I am worried about him," Trump told reporters earlier this month. "I hope he wins. He was a great leader for the whole Republican Party when I won, and he’d be a great senator."

Meanwhile, Thune was still bullish that Republicans could hold on, but ultimately, it would come down to getting the "low propensity, particularly Trump, voters out, and then you've got to work on winning the middle of the electorate."

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"Turnout's going to be a big part of whether or not we're successful or not. And in every state I've been in, that is a clear-eyed focus of our candidates," Thune said.

"That's where resources are being invested. And I think that could be the difference for us come Election Day on whether or not we win a lot of these close races or not," he continued. "And I think that we're gonna outperform the polls for sure come Election Day."

The Michigan senate race between Republican candidate Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has turned into the marquee matchup of the 2026 midterm, both as a test of the far left’s ability to compete in middle America and as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s leadership. So what will tip the balance?

While many of the basic factors of this contest have already been built in, such as El-Sayed’s disdain for Israel, and Rogers, somewhat qualified, support for the president’s policies, there are a few points emerging that could prove decisive in the final two weeks.

MORNING GLORY: THE POLLS GOT MICHIGAN BADLY WRONG. NOW DEMOCRATS MAY FACE A BIGGER RECKONING

Here are five factors that still could sway who some late deciders vote for, or whether they turn out to vote at all.

1. Temperament

Policy differences aside, Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed are very different people with very different temperaments, and voters Fox News Digital spoke with in Michigan could see, in the same temperamental attributes, either a positive or negative light.

For example, Leon in Detroit, a city employee in his 40s who supported El -Sayed’s opponent Haley Stevens in the primary, said of Abdul, "He just comes off arrogant, like he’s talking down to everybody," but young voters I spoke with in Grand Rapids called this attitude, "confidence," and "assertiveness."

DAVID MARCUS: WHY ABDUL EL-SAYED’S ANTI-BILLIONAIRE SCREEDS MAY NOT PLAY IN GRAND RAPIDS

On the ground, one could almost describe the race as a Thanksgiving dinner in which Rogers is your calm, conservative, wealthy uncle and El-Sayed is the new college boyfriend who keeps talking about how terrible American capitalism is and why the football game on tv is toxic, Michigan voters must choose who they hope will be there next year..

LEE CARTER: 2026 ELECTION COULD ALL COME DOWN TO JUST ONE TYPE OF VOTER

2. Get Out The Vote Campaigns

Back in August, when El-Sayed won a one point victory over Stevens, despite polls showing him up by double digits, it was the aggressive far left ground game, especially in semi urban areas like Dearborn, from groups like the Democratic Socialists of America that saved his bacon.

FOX NEWS POLL: MICHIGAN VOTERS SPLIT BETWEEN EL-SAYED AND ROGERS

As Tiffany Justice, Senior Advisor for Citizen’s Alliance told Fox News Digital, " Michigan elections are won at the margins, and the voters who decide them are working-class conservatives who agree with us but don't have a habit of voting. A TV ad won't get them there. A neighbor knocking on their door, looking them in the eye, and personally inviting them to the polls will."

Rogers claims that the GOP ground game has been improving in the Wolverine State, and he better hope so, in fact the money men on the right might need to shift a bit from ads on screens to faces at screen doors.

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3. Donald Trump

You didn’t really think we could leave the president out of this, did you? El-Sayed has dared Trump to campaign with Rogers in Michigan, and Trump has decided to oblige him with a rally set for Sunday, October 25th, just a day after former President Barack Obama will rally with Abdul.

MIKE ROGERS PRESSES CNN'S DANA BASH ON WHY THE PRESS IS 'EAGER' TO DEFEND ABDUL EL-SAYED

Rogers, for his part, has distanced himself from Trump both on the conflict in Iran and on the Canadian tariff war, and notably has done so with no blowback from the commander in chief, a Trump rally will bring out much needed MAGA voters, but could it also alienate independent voters just days before the election.

4. French Riots

El-Sayed’s family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as his past statements in support of it, have become central to this race, even after Abdul’s hand-waving "sort of" disavowal of the group in a testy town hall exchange, and the backdrop to this issue is the pro Islamist riots in France.

COULD FRANCE'S RIOTS HAPPEN HERE? EXPERTS SEE PARALLELS IN SOCIALISM, IMMIGRATION — AND KEY DIFFERENCES

Americans, including voters in Michigan, are increasingly looking towards Europe, with its burning buildings in Limoges and trampling of free speech in London, as a warning of what happens when a nation has untrammeled immigration without assimilation.

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If these riots persist and get worse, both Rogers and El-Sayed will have to address them and the undertones will be clear as day to Michigan voters.

5. The Final Debate

On Wednesday, Rogers and El-Sayed will take the stage for their second and final debate, the first having been contentious, but arguably without a knockout blow for either man. The electorate is much more keyed in than it was on October 8th, when they first sparred, making this the biggest chance either side has to attract new votes.

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How aggressive will El-Sayed be, and can he do it without voters like Leon thinking he is condescending? Can Mike Rogers keep his cool, and should he? In a race this close, one viral moment could make all the difference.

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With 2 weeks left to go, the Michigan senate race sits on a knife’s edge, and any of these 5 factors could tip it to one side or to the other.

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Republicans have had their share of good and bad election nights this century, but they’ve usually been able to count on the heartland.

Once evenly divided, rural voters have become substantially more Republican over the last two decades. Nearly two-thirds of these voters backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

REPUBLICANS FACE BRUTAL MIDTERM HEADWINDS. SIX FORCES COULD HELP THEM DEFY HISTORY.

Today, just under half of rural voters say they’ll support the GOP again in November.

Like other groups, rural Americans are concerned about paying the bills. Nineteen percent said the rising cost of living is their biggest economic problem in a recent survey, with gas and energy costs not far behind.

The Trump administration has, in part, tried to counter those anxieties by talking about job growth and the AI boom, but rural voters are frustrated about those issues too.

Less than a quarter of rural voters say the economy is in good shape, and unemployment is a focal point: 8% called a lack of jobs and unemployment their biggest economic issue, and only 28% thought there were good or excellent job opportunities in their communities.

DAVID MARCUS: ON THE GROUND IN MIDDLE AMERICA, FOUR ISSUES WILL DECIDE THE SENATE, AND NONE ARE AFFORDABILITY

Data centers are part of the story too. Only 2% called it their biggest economic problem, but that number is larger than it seems. For 1 in 50 rural voters, data centers are a bigger problem than housing, the cost of living, or getting a job.

These factors have put the Republicans in a tough spot all over the map.

They are a reason why heartland states like Ohio and Iowa have been competitive most of the year and why more rural districts, including some that Trump won by double digits, are becoming margin-of-error races.

Even setting the polls aside, there are signs that the rural vote is on shakier footing. TV viewers in Wyoming will see ads this week for Republican candidate Chuck Gray that don’t mention Trump or the GOP. Two years ago, Trump won 71.6% of the vote there — his best performance in any state, in any election.

Low rural turnout or party switching would make many races closer than the GOP would like, including in Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina.

Four states are worth singling out thanks to another complicating factor.

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This year, prominent independent candidates are running for Senate against a Republican in four rural-heavy states: Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota.

They are pushing anti-establishment policies like congressional term limits and lobbying bans and have a heavy focus on corruption, the top voter concern in last week’s Fox News poll.

And all four say they won’t caucus with either party or would form their own independent caucus if they were elected.

With the Democratic brand still relatively weak around the country and abysmal in these states, the party has stepped out of the race entirely in three of the four (in Montana, a Democrat is staying on the ballot, though support for her has declined).

Normally, frustrated partisans stay home in scenarios like these, leaving the incumbent party to win by a more modest margin. This year, those voters have the ability to turn out for a different candidate, so the margin may get narrower.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: AS THE HOUSE FALLS, THE SENATE STAYS IN PLAY

All these states have been competitive over the last decade or so. Former Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, held on to his seat in Montana in 2018; Republicans have scored single-digit victories in South Dakota and Nebraska (where the same independent is running again this year), and even Idaho had a gubernatorial race that came within 15 points back in 2014.

These states could be close again.

In this week’s Power Rankings, two gubernatorial races get more competitive as the final two weeks of campaigning begin.

Florida

The Sunshine State is the beating heart of the "MAGA" movement. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis have posted stronger results each time they’ve run, with the latter winning his last re-election bid by nearly 20 points.

Thanks in part to those performances, Republicans have carved out structural advantages, including a 1.5 million registered voter gap and a resilient get-out-the-vote operation.

But DeSantis’ first win came within around 30,000 votes (or 0.4 points) and in a similar environment to the one we’re in now.

Here, Hispanic voters will play an outsized role, and polls suggest that a large chunk of them have shifted away from the GOP. In last week’s national Fox survey, 31% of Hispanic voters said they preferred the Republican candidate over the Democrat. That’s down 12 points from their support for Trump in 2024.

The Republican candidate, Rep. Byron Donalds, will be pleased to have the endorsement of DeSantis. He remains popular in the state. Donalds still has the edge against Democrat and former Rep. David Jolly, who is hoping former President Bill Clinton can shore up his support when they appear together for the first time today.

Still, this race is no sure thing for the GOP. Florida moves from Likely R to Lean R.

Nebraska

In Nebraska, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen is looking for a second term in office. He cruised to victory the first time with a 23-point win, but with both suburban and rural voters wavering on Trump this cycle, this could be a tougher battle.

Three other factors are playing a role.

First, the presence of Dan Osborn, one of the four notable independents on the ballot in Senate races this year, could boost Democratic turnout for challenger Lynne Walz in a governor’s race that would otherwise attract less attention.

There’s Pillen himself, who has faced some local pushback over a 5% budget cut and hiring freeze within state government.

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Finally, the ballot, which will feature third-party challenger Brett Lindstrom, a former state lawmaker who lost to Pillen in a Republican primary four years prior. He’ll appear on the ballot as an "America First" candidate. The party was founded in July.

OTTAWA: Residents of Alberta began voting Monday in a non-binding referendum that will determine whether the western-Canadian province should pursue separation from Canada.

The vote comes at a time when the province is mourning the deaths of four soldiers, while dozens of others were injured from a fast-moving fire that burned through a military base in Alberta.

While the results of a poll involving 1,021 respondents released by Abacus Data on Saturday showed that 74% of decided voters favor Alberta remaining within the Canadian Confederation, the independence issue won’t disappear for the nearly 30% who want Alberta’s government to begin the process to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada, according to veteran separatist organizer Cory Morgan, who leads a group called Pathway to Independence.

"It will say that about one in three Albertans have had it," Morgan told Fox News Digital. "There is a big rift within Alberta and if things don’t change, it will be a growing faction in this province — so this vote is an important one."

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About 3 million Albertans are eligible to vote in the referendum.

Another recent Abacus poll found that 61% of the 1,021 eligible voters surveyed expect Albertans will vote again on separation, even if most choose to remain in Canada.

On Friday, the Angus Reid Institute released the results of its poll that found 62% of 1,010 Albertans surveyed believe "there will never be an end to the separatist movement" in the province.

Morgan, who led the short-lived Alberta Independence Party from 2000 to 2001, said that while "a vocal minority" within the separatist movement favor Alberta becoming the 51st state, most pro-independence Albertans "don’t want to become a small fish in an even bigger pond." He added that "Albertans in general are not too thrilled with President Trump right now and that makes them less inclined to leave the federation."

At a "Forever Canadian" rally on Friday in Edmonton, where he was raised, Prime Minister Mark Carney told a crowd of over 5,000 people that "this referendum comes at the worst possible time." He said that "the world is becoming more dangerous and divided [and] some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us," making an indirect reference to Trump’s trade war against and annexation talk about Canada.

Alberta-born and raised, 55-year-old Morgan said that his home province is "politically and culturally different" than eastern Canada. "There’s a lot more focus on individual freedoms and property rights," he noted, acknowledging that those values are traditionally viewed as American.

"Most Albertans are going to feel much more comfortable sitting down for a beer with people from Great Falls, Montana, than they would in Ottawa," said Morgan. He explained that when Alberta became a Canadian province in 1905, its population grew largely from a migration of Montanans, and when oil was discovered in the 1940s, U.S. companies Chevron and Mobil helped develop what became Alberta’s biggest industry.

Also, earlier this year during an appearance on Real America’s Voice at Davos, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Alberta as "a natural partner for the U.S." and described Albertans as "very independent people."

In response, Carney said that he "expect[ed] the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty."

Earlier this month, The Globe and Mail reported that Alberta separatist leaders met with Republican strategists in Calgary in January to look at software designed to identify and mobilize supporters. Separatist leaders also reportedly suggested exchanging water and oil for U.S. support when they met with State Department officials in Washington last year.

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told CBC News that if most Albertans support staying in Canada, she would not hold another referendum on the matter as long as she heads the provincial government.

However, on Oct. 18, 2027, residents of the province will vote again in a general election, and Smith could be out of her job by then, warned Morgan, a founding member of the former conservative Wildrose Party, for which Smith served as leader.

That party merged with the then-Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta in 2020 to form the United Conservative Party (UCP) that Smith heads. But Morgan explained that more than half of the UCP’s nearly 55,000 members support Alberta’s independence. The premier has said that she will vote to keep the province in Canada.

Angus Reid, founder and chairman of the Angus Reid Institute, told Fox News Digital that in his firm’s recent polling, 67% of the 293 UCP voters who support a future binding referendum on separation said that they would either "definitely support" or "consider" supporting the creation of a separatist provincial political party – not unlike the Parti Québécois, which won the recent election in Quebec.

The emergence of an independence party in Alberta "would probably spell the death of the UCP since it is so badly divided between separatists and non-separatists, and it would likely end the career of Danielle Smith because of the amount of breakage in her party," said Reid, whose firm’s survey found that 60% of the respondents who support a future binding referendum are "more likely sending a message to Ottawa" about the Canadian government’s often fractious relationship with Alberta.

"Separatist types are looking at how much leverage Quebec has been able to achieve in Canada as a result of its threats of exiting, and saying ‘Hold it, we can play that game too,’" explained Reid.

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As of Saturday, more than 1.2 million Albertans had cast a ballot on the referendum, which, in addition to the question on separation, has nine others, five focusing on immigration, such as one asking voters whether their province should take more control "for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities."