“Susan Collins has had a record of, you know, saying that she supports women's rights to choose but not following through with that"
A year after Senator Collins cast the deciding vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court, she’s leaning into the vote that put Mainers’ health care at risk. Mainers still feel betrayed by Senator Collins’ “pivotal” vote for Kavanaugh, yet as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that threatens to make it even harder for women to make critical health care decisions, Senator Collins today sent a fundraising email touting her support for Kavanaugh, the latest sign that she’s left Mainers in the dust to side squarely with Mitch McConnell and her out-of-state donors.
“If you needed any more proof of whose side Senator Collins is on, just check your inbox,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “Despite the protests and concerns of thousands of Maine women whose health care is on the line thanks to Collins, she’s not only standing by her toxic vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, but fundraising off of it. While Senator Collins’ Kavanaugh vote may have been a windfall for her, it’s just one more betrayal of Mainers and even more proof that Collins has left our state behind.”
HuffPost: Susan Collins Voted To Confirm Kavanaugh A Year Ago. Mainers Haven’t Forgotten.
Many felt betrayed by the senator, and they’re taking action ahead of next year’s election.
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For some of her constituents, Collins’ vote was an awakening. The most senior Republican woman in the Senate, a self-proclaimed pro-choice moderate, had just sung the praises of an accused sexual predator whose anti-abortion views could jeopardize the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
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Others ― those more familiar with Collins’ record — were less surprised: The four-term senator often hid behind her “moderate” cloak, but rarely broke with the Republican Party on votes where she could make a difference.
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In the end, Collins’ support for Kavanaugh appeared to spark a nearly universal sentiment among Mainers who opposed his confirmation, whether they were longtime political activists or speaking out for the first time: betrayal.
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“Election after election, she has said she’s pro-choice, that she believes in the right of women to have integrity over their own body,” Merz told HuffPost. “Yet she was the pivotal vote in putting onto the Supreme Court someone with a known history of being restrictive of women’s bodies. Everything he does on that court that confirms that is an albatross around her neck.”
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Still, Collins ― whose office did not respond to a request for comment ― has said she has no regrets over her vote to confirm Kavanaugh. In fact, she appears to have really embraced it despite the majority of her constituents having opposed it at the time. She sent out mailers accusing “far left extremists” of attacking her over her vote, and attended a fundraiser in California where she was hailed the “hero of the Kavanaugh confirmation.”
Maine Public: Activists Gather In Portland To Protest Kavanaugh Appointment On One-Year Anniversary
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Maine U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was a pivotal vote in Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Her decision to confirm the conservative justice drew ire from some of her constituents.
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Mindy Woerter is a volunteer with Planned Parenthood, and she traveled to Washington D.C. last year to speak with the senator before the vote.
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“Susan Collins has had a record of, you know, saying that she supports women's rights to choose but not following through with that," Woerter said. "I think her supporting Brett Kavanaugh is a perfect example of that. And I think if we are to see the Supreme Court ultimately decide to continue to restrict abortion, abortion access, that is going to have an impact on everyone here in Maine.”
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