Sara Gideon (D), Speaker of the Maine House, Today at Press Conference Highlighting Health Care.

ACA Supporters at Press Conference in Front of City Hall Today.  Rep. Thom Harnett, D, Gardner and Rep. Cathy Breen (D).  Far Right in Yellow is Nicole Clegg, Planned Parenthood Policy Official.

“Health care is a basic human right,” said Sara Gideon, (D), and Speaker of the Maine House in Augusta. She reminded the press conference in front of city hall that the Republicans sought to overturn the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) repeatedly following the election of 2016.  Gideon criticized Senator Susan Collins (R) for her support of Trump’s tax plan because it strengthened the lawsuit directed toward repealing the ACA.

Gideon is running against the long-time Republican Senator from Bangor who used to be considered an approachable moderate who could be counted on “to do the right thing.”  That reputation has dissipated as Collins has voted in lock step with Trump.   Her vote in support of the controversial Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court was the final blow for many voters – some of whom had supported her in the past.

That vote for Kavanaugh was the motivation for an on-line fund raiser from a trio of non-profit professional organizations to raise over $4 million to help fund  Collins  challenger next year.   There are four challengers including Gideon.  As previously reported herein, the Cook Political Report stated last week that Collins’ race is a “toss up.”  (Please visit post herein dated August 17, 2019 for that information).

Collins has earned a reputation as a “no-show” at public events in Portland apparently so she doesn’t have to answer questions about her questionable voting record.

“Planned Parenthood said Monday that it would withdraw from the federal family planning program that provides birth control and other health services to poor women rather than comply with a new Trump administration rule that forbids referrals to doctors who can perform abortions,” wrote Pam Belluck in The New York Times, on August 20, 2019.   The article continues:  “Planned Parenthood receives about $60 million annually through the federal program, known as Title X. The funds have enabled the group to provide more than 1.5 million low-income women each year with services like birth control and pregnancy tests…”

The press conference today was part of a program by protectourcare.org.  The van transporting the sponsors began on August 5th in Las Vegas and will make twenty-two stops across the country before it ends.

note:  It’s been 20 years since Collins has conducted a town hall in Portland according to 16 Counties Coalition.  With this in mind, the non-profit is holding a town hall “with or without” her at the Portland Public Library, Rines Auditorium, at 6:00 pm Tuesday, August 20, 2019,