Senator Susan Collins (R) is Under Pressure Not to Vote Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court by Mainers.

A small-dollar grassroots effort collecting pledges of $202.20 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 Senator Collins (R) in the 2020 election.  The funds will only made made available to the 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 Maineers 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 the campaign with a median pledge of $20.20.

“Far 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,” wrote Maria Fallayttar, the executive director, of Mainers for Accountable Leadership and co-director of the MFAL PAC.  “That ends here.  We’re channeling the outrage and frustration of so many Mainers and activists who desperately want Senator Collins to do the right 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.  Now Susan Collins has a political one too.  We’ve called, we’ve emailed, we’ve emailed her office – she won’t listen to us and we are going to stand together to make sure our voices are heard,” concluded Fallayttar.

The online fundraising pledge offer is supported by MFAL, the Maine People’s Alliance and BE A HERO, founded by national health care advocate and ALS patient Ady Barkan.