Group Raises Nearly $1M For Susan Collins Nonexistent Opponent If She Votes To Confirm Brett Kavanau
Last edited Tue Sep 11, 2018, 04:21 PM - Edit history (3)
Source: The Daily Beast
By Scott Bixby, 55 mins. ago.
With the conclusion of three days of intense--even showboat-y--questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, public attention has shifted to one of the elected officials who actually holds the fate of Kavanaugh's confirmation: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
One group hopes to influence Collins' vote with a small fortune in campaign contributions to her next political opponent--whoever they may be. Two political action committees based in Collins' home state, the Maine People's Alliance and Mainers for Accountable Leadership, have joined forces with progressive activist Ady Barkan to crowdfund in support of the senator's Democratic opponent in 2020, despite the Maine Democratic primary not being scheduled for roughly 21 months.
As of this writing, the campaign has raised a stunning $900,801, with every dollar earmarked for Collins' eventual Democratic opponent if Collins fails, in the words of the campaign, "to stand up for the people for the people of Maine and for Americans across the country" by voting against Kavanaugh's confirmation.
By comparison, Collins' Democratic opponent raised a mere $2.3 million during Maine's most recent Senate campaign, making the nearly $1 million fund a jackpot for an ambitious Maine Democrat hoping to unseat the four-term senator. (Collins raised $6.2 million, and won re-election with nearly 70 percent of the vote.) In a note addressed to Collins, the joint campaign calls on the senior senator from Maine "to be a hero" by voting against Kavanaugh, whose potential votes on Obamacare and abortion access "is a threat to everyday Mainers like us."...More...
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/group-raises-nearly-dollar1m-for-susan-collins%e2%80%99-nonexistent-opponent-if-she-votes-to-confirm-brett-kavanaugh/ar-BBN9Or0
The fund is the idea of activist Ady Barkan, diagnosed with ALS in 2017 and an outspoken advocate for protecting ACA coverage of pre-existing conditions like his. "If Susan Collins votes to confirm this terrible nominee, we will use your money to replace her with someone better in 2020," he said. "That's what people power looks like."
"There are many Mainers who were disappointed that Collins voted for tax breaks for the wealthy despite promising not to," Tipping said. "They see her claims that Kavanaugh isn't a threat to abortion rights or the ACA as another dishonest betrayal."
Collins, a self-described centrist is one of just 3 GOP senators who publicly support the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that found a constitutional right to abortion access.
Kavanaugh is emerging as the most unpopular Supreme Court nominee in decades, according to a CNN poll.
Groups on both sides of the aisle are battling to decide his fate on the nation's highest court, with Collins as a primary target. Collins' office dismissed the campaign as tantamount to bribery- and ineffective bribery, at that.
Barkan's "Be A Hero" campaign fundraiser asking Americans to pledge $20.20 to go to Collins's challenger, should she vote for the judge. Should she vote no, the funds would be returned to the millions of Americans who have donated. https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/387413/either-sen-collins-votes-no-on-kavanaugh-or-we-fund-her-future-opponent
Ady Barkan, The Center for Popular Democracy
https://populardemocracy.org/ady-barkan
"Dying of ALS, this father is using his last breaths to help Democrats win in 2018," Aug. 6, 2018.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/06/politics/ady-barkan-democrats-midterm-trnd/index.html
"From his wheelchair in Minneapolis last month, Barkan addressed a crowd of hundreds. "I am willing to give my last breath to save our democracy," he said. "And I'm here to ask you: What are you willing to give?"
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