NY Times: Kavanaugh and Trump Could Doom Susan Collins’ Reelection Hopes

Since the day Donald Trump took office, Susan Collins (R) of Maine was commonly seen as a major swing voter. She sided with Democrats (along with Lisa Murkowski and John McCain) to prevent the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. She swung back to the Republican side, however, and cast a yes vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.

Maine is a typically blue-leaning state and Collins is a candidate that Democrats think can be defeated. According to a new piece by Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, her opponent, Sara Gideon, will use the Kavanaugh vote and Collins’ relationship with Trump to campaign against her.

Collins maintained strong standing in Maine. The last time she was up for reelection in 2014, she defeated Shenna Bellows by a margin of 37%. There’s reason to believe that may not be the case in 2020, though.

The Times article highlights the backlash Collins faced after voting to confirm Kavanaugh. Stolberg writes, “After her Kavanaugh vote, a crowdfunding campaign raised over $4 million to donate to her eventual opponent.” Still, the Senator has told reporters, “I do not regret my vote in the least.”

Her opponent, Gideon, hit her on both issues. She said of Collins, “Getting things done for Mainers is what we’re elected to do, not falling in line behind the demands of someone else. It doesn’t matter if that person is Paul LePage, Mitch McConnell or Donald Trump.”

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The potential challenger also took issue with Collins’ Kavanaugh decision, saying her vote, “put women’s control over their own health care decisions in extreme jeopardy.”