ICYMI: “Unions that have backed Collins now undecided”
Susan Collins continues losing support from organizations that had once backed her
The front page of the Bangor Daily News leads with latest report showing how Senator Collins’ record is costing her support: labor unions which had supported her in the past are now “undecided.”
This comes as “former allies will find it politically difficult to support her this time around,” such as NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and the League of Conservation Voters. In addition to groups abandoning Collins, Mainers have been doing the same - Collins' approval is at an "all-time low" and saw the "biggest decline of anyone in the Senate," and the Cook Political Report just shifted her reelection chances from lean Republican to toss-up.
Senator Collins raised 97 percent of her campaign cash from out-of-state special interests & corporate PACs and attended a private fundraiser hosted by “Trump’s judge whisperer.” In Washington, Collins has become an increasingly reliable vote for special interests and went along with Republicans to pass a tax law that was a “lopsided giveaway to corporations” while threatening health care and protections for pre-existing conditions.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Bangor Daily News: Unions that have backed Collins now undecided
Caitlin Andrews
September 2, 2019
- “Some labor unions that helped U.S. Sen. Susan Collins win in 2014 say it’s too early to decide whether they’ll support her again in 2020”
- “Collins, a Republican, was supported by several labor unions in her last re-election race. Her campaign touted the endorsements heavily … Things could be different in 2020. Collins’ seat is expected the subject of one of the most expensive Senate campaigns of the 2020 cycle after her key October vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. … But unions also took issue with his nomination.”
- “Last year, the liberal AFL-CIO said Kavanaugh has ‘a dangerous track record of protecting the privileges of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of working people.’ That sentiment and more competitive race could create an issue for Collins with groups that backed her in the past.”
- “Three unions — the BIW Local S6, the LiUNA Local 327 and the Maine State Police Association — that previously endorsed Collins say factors like health care, job security, labor rights and Collins’ support of Kavanaugh are weighing on their minds.”
- “‘There are some great things she’s done for us and other things we wish she’d gone the other way on,’ said Jay Wadleigh, a former president of the machinists’ union who now works in the Lisbon office of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. … [H]e said some — mainly women — may balk at supporting Collins due to her vote for Kavanaugh, whose nomination was wracked with controversy over whether California professor Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her while they were in high school should disqualify him. ‘I’m sure there’s going to be a huge debate on this one,’ Wadleigh said.”