For the past several months, Maine People's Alliance and Mainers for Accountable Leadership partnered with dying father Ady Barkan of Be a Hero to beg Senator Collins to vote "no" on Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Senator Collins betrayed the public trust when she voted in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

The people of Maine have been clear with you, Senator Collins: the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court Justice is a threat to all Mainers. Kavanaugh is committed to ending healthcare for people with pre-existing conditions. He is committed to overturning Roe v. Wade. His confirmation poses a danger for millions of families in Maine and across America.

Senator, your deciding vote was a rubber-stamp for Trump’s anti-healthcare, anti-woman, anti-environment and anti-labor agenda.

For failing to stand up for the people of Maine and ignoring the voices of your constituents, and for endangering the lives of millions of Americans, we will work to elect a new senator to represent the State of Maine. 

Every dollar donated to this campaign will be used to fund your eventual Democratic opponent in 2020.  Mainers deserve a senator who will fight for a country that works for all of us.

Be A Hero Team
Maine People's Alliance
Mainers for Accountable Leadership

Show your support for this campaign by endorsing it and sharing why!

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  • endorsed

    “For those concerned about if the money was ever passed along, the FEC filings for the PAC (ID C00630012) shows that a 3,457,085.24 payment was made to “S-ME-02-D Nominee Fund 2020” on 07/23/2020. You can find this in the PAC’s August 2020 Monthly Filing on the FEC website, SCHEDULE B, ITEMIZED DISBURSEMENTS Line #: 29.”

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    “Was this money ever given to Sara Gideon? We deserve an update.”

  • endorsed

    “From Mainers for Accountable Leadership "The money was transferred on July 24th to Sara Gideon.”

  • endorsed

    “Can you please give us an update on when this money will be sent to Sara Gideon? I want this money to be used to beat Susan Collins ASAP. The primary was nearly a month ago already.”

  • endorsed

    “I gave multiple times... now when the hell is Sara Gideon getting all this money? It’s been a week since the primary ended. How about at least a brief post to explain the timing you have in mind?”

  • endorsed

    “Susan Collins says one thing, and then does another. Kavanaugh lied to her, she knew he was lying, and she voted to confirm him anyway.”

  • endorsed

    “She ia a traitor to democracy/ an enabler of Trump’s anti American behave”

  • endorsed

    “I support Collins' future opponent because moderate Republicans like Collins who have tolerated Trump's egregious violations of the constitution, flouting the rule of law, need to be held accountable for their complicity in the rise of authoritarianism in this country. She's got to go!”

  • endorsed

    “Collins has totally sold out to Trump. My understanding is she votes with him 94% of the time. She is NOT "moderate" nor "independent"! COLLINS MUST GO!”

  • endorsed

    “Not quite sure what you're doing here, or why these funds haven't been donated to Sara Gideon, who is running against Susan Collins. I gave to this campaign last year, and assumed you would have already donated to Gideon's campaign.”

See more endorsements

September 12, 2018

Our response to Susan Collins

September 12th, 2018

Contact:

Mike Tipping, Mike@mainepeoplesalliance.org

Marie Follayttar Smith, mfalpac@gmail.com

Mainers Defend Their Right to the First Amendment and Fight Back Against Bogus Attacks from Senator Susan Collins

In a heated atmosphere around the Supreme Court nominations, an online fundraising pledge campaign 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 has now raised over $1 million online from almost 40,000 small dollar donors to unseat Senator Collins, IF she decides to support the nomination of Kavanagh to the Supreme Court. See the campaign's metrics in real time by clicking here.

Instead of paying attention to the messages from her constituents, Senator Susan Collins ran to a notorious right wing news outlet to call the campaign “bribery.”

Jonathan Berkon, a partner in Perkins Coie’s Political Law Group, defended the legality of the program. “Through this grassroots effort, Mainers are making clear to Senator Collins that they will defeat her for reelection if she defies the will of the people and votes to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. The First Amendment guarantees their right to do so. And federal law protects their right to pool their funds together now, when enthusiasm is at its peak, so that their campaign against a well-funded, four-term incumbent is viable two years from now. It is shameful that Republicans are using bogus legal threats to stifle this grassroots enthusiasm.”

"The idea of Susan Collins attacking an effort by 35,000 small dollar donors as bribery is politics at its worst,” said Marie Follayttar, the co-director of Mainers for Accountable Leadership.

“Thousands of Mainers are trying desperately to tell her that she needs to protect abortion access and critical healthcare coverage across the country by voting ‘no’ on Kavanaugh.”

“Sen. Collins owes it to her constituents to hear them out, and explain why Judge Kavanaugh's demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade, opposition to covering pre-existing conditions and repeated lies is not disqualifying. If she doesn't, we absolutely have the right to prepare to unseat her. Unlike Supreme Court judges, Senators do not enjoy a lifetime guarantee of their seat; they are accountable to the people.”

Ady Barkan, one of the founders of the Campaign said “Senator Collins took over $5 million from PACs and large donors like the Koch brothers. In exchange, she voted to cut their taxes and take healthcare away from people like me. Senator Collins may not really know what small dollar donations are, because during her last election campaign less than 3% of her money came from small dollar donors, while 44% came from PACs, but that still doesn't excuse smearing a grassroots effort from regular people pleading with someone in a position of power to do the right thing.”

Barkan, father dying of ALS, filmed the initial video begging Senator Collins to “be a hero” and vote “No” on Kavanaugh. Barkan originally gained national fame when he confronted Sen. Jeff Flake mid-flight with a plea to vote no on the tax bill.

Other support has been flooding in to the campaign that is well beyond $1 million now and gathered another $50k within the hour of Collins complaining that small donations could be seen as bribery.

Just a handful of responses can be seen here:

Donate and fight back: $25

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Show your support for this campaign by endorsing it and sharing why!

Endorse

  • endorsed

    “For those concerned about if the money was ever passed along, the FEC filings for the PAC (ID C00630012) shows that a 3,457,085.24 payment was made to “S-ME-02-D Nominee Fund 2020” on 07/23/2020. You can find this in the PAC’s August 2020 Monthly Filing on the FEC website, SCHEDULE B, ITEMIZED DISBURSEMENTS Line #: 29.”

  • endorsed

  • endorsed

    “Was this money ever given to Sara Gideon? We deserve an update.”

  • endorsed

    “From Mainers for Accountable Leadership "The money was transferred on July 24th to Sara Gideon.”

  • endorsed

  • endorsed

    “Can you please give us an update on when this money will be sent to Sara Gideon? I want this money to be used to beat Susan Collins ASAP. The primary was nearly a month ago already.”

  • endorsed

    “I gave multiple times... now when the hell is Sara Gideon getting all this money? It’s been a week since the primary ended. How about at least a brief post to explain the timing you have in mind?”

  • endorsed

    “Susan Collins says one thing, and then does another. Kavanaugh lied to her, she knew he was lying, and she voted to confirm him anyway.”

  • endorsed

  • endorsed

    “She ia a traitor to democracy/ an enabler of Trump’s anti American behave”

  • endorsed

  • endorsed

    “I support Collins' future opponent because moderate Republicans like Collins who have tolerated Trump's egregious violations of the constitution, flouting the rule of law, need to be held accountable for their complicity in the rise of authoritarianism in this country. She's got to go!”

  • endorsed

    “Collins has totally sold out to Trump. My understanding is she votes with him 94% of the time. She is NOT "moderate" nor "independent"! COLLINS MUST GO!”

  • endorsed

  • endorsed

    “Not quite sure what you're doing here, or why these funds haven't been donated to Sara Gideon, who is running against Susan Collins. I gave to this campaign last year, and assumed you would have already donated to Gideon's campaign.”

  • endorsed

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    “Never heard of this woman until 2018. Now I've donated twice to put her out of a job.”

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    “The vote for Brett Kavanaugh said it all - even aside from his revolting history, his behavior and comportment during his hearing was not even close to being up to par for any public office, much less the SCOTUS.”

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    “She endorse Brett K for the Supreme Court, which threatens the right of all citizens of Maine and the entire U.S. and then she does refuses to act to allow the TRUMP impeachment to go forward. She is a disgrace to all woman and the State of Maine. She should resign now before she gets thrown out!!!”

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