Fund Susan Collins' Future Opponent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2018

Contact: Marie Follayttar, mfalpac@gmail.com

Fundraising Campaign Pledging to Fund a Future Opponent to Sen. Collins Crosses $1 Million Threshold

SCARBOROUGH, ME  -- A small-dollar grassroots effort collecting pledges of $20.20 from concerned Mainers and activists has smashed its initial goal of $250,000 to  secure more than $1 million in pledged support of a potential challenger to Sen. Susan Collins in the 2020 election. The funds will only be made available to her future general election challenger in Maine's 2020 Senate race if Collins votes to confirm President Trump's nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, to the Supreme Court. The new milestone represents a major victory for activists. Senator Collins must listen to the outpouring of Mainers demanding she protect them and publicly pledge to vote against Judge Kavanaugh, who has indicated willingness to overturn Roe v. Wade and gut health care protections for America's most vulnerable.

Over 35,000 donors have pledged to this campaign with a median pledge of $20.20.

"For too long, politicians like Susan Collins have made the calculation that they can vote with corporations and entrenched right-wing interests, as long as the next election is too far away for constituents to remember," said Marie Follayttar, the co-director of Mainers for Accountable Leadership, "That ends here. We're channeling the outrage and frustration of so many Mainers and activists who desperately want Sen. Collins to do the right thing and vote against Kavanaugh, but who also want her to know that we won't forget if she betrays us. There's already a very clear moral imperative to vote against Kavanaugh, and now Susan Collins has a political one too. We’ve called, we’ve emailed, we’ve visited her office - she won’t listen to us and we are going to stand together to make sure our voices are heard."

The online fundraising pledge effort is supported by Mainers for Accountable Leadership, the Maine People's Alliance, and Be A Hero, founded by national health care advocate and ALS patient Ady Barkan.

“When I speak together with the people of Maine, we can really make a difference for the entire country. Kavanaugh is a threat to my healthcare as well as thousands of others in the state of Maine and millions across America. The future of Americans’ healthcare for generations is once again coming down to the vote of Susan Collins,” said Ady Barkan. Barkan is the Father Dying of ALS made famous when he confronted Senator Jeff Flake on a plane in December 2017 begging him to vote against the tax bill and “Be A Hero”.

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Thanks for your support and for reading our release. We've caught Susan Collins' attention -- time to drive the point home.