In yet another example of saying one thing to Mainers and doing another behind closed doors, Collins was caught again cozying up to the out-of-state corporate special interests funding her re-election campaign. After launching an ad this week touting her support for Bath Iron Works, Senator Susan Collins was in Washington attending a fundraiser hosted by the corporate PAC and lobbyist for their chief rival, Huntington Ingalls Industries. Collins has taken more than $60,000 from the corporate PACs tied to Huntington Ingalls, while Bath Iron Works has lost out on major contracts to them.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Wall Street Journal: Susan Collins Fundraises With Rival of Maine Shipbuilder
Gabriel T. Rubin
November 1, 2019
Key points:
- SUSAN COLLINS LAUNCHES DEFENSIVE EFFORT to save her seat, and potentially the Senate Majority, from Democrats. The Maine Republican debuted two new advertisements this week… One ad credits her for bringing “thousands of good-paying jobs to Bath Iron Works,” a major shipyard owned by General Dynamics that produces military vessels.
- On Wednesday, Collins attended a Washington fundraiser for her campaign hosted by the political action committee for Huntington Ingalls Industries, the chief competitor of Bath Iron Works, according to an invitation seen by The Wall Street Journal.
- The two companies have clashed over billions of dollars worth of Navy contracts. Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a lobbyist for Huntington Ingalls, co-hosted the fundraiser. A spokesman for Sen. Collins didn’t respond to requests for comment.
- Collins is fundraising aggressively for her campaign, attending another D.C. fete earlier this week and one hosted by billionaire Stephen Schwarzman in New York last week.
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