We told you Susan Collins is in trouble
A few weeks ago, Palmer Report told you that Sen. Susan Collins was in trouble, politically speaking. Her low approval rating of just 45% made her the most unpopular senator in the country aside from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A new development now shows that Collins’ reelection campaign is on track to become as rocky as Maine’s coast.
The Cook Political Report, a respected nonpartisan publication, yesterday changed its forecast of next year’s Maine Senate election from “lean Republican” to “toss-up.” This is a big deal because Collins is used to winning reelection to the Senate with double-digit leads. Several recent polls have shown Collins becoming increasingly unpopular, especially since that day she rushed to cast the deciding vote that put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, casually brushing aside credible allegations of gang rape that demanded a proper investigation.
The Report also notes that Collins’ top Democratic challenger, Maine Speaker of the House Sara Gideon, has been doing extraordinarily well since announcing her candidacy not long ago, on June 24. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Gideon raised nearly $1.1 million in just the last 10 days of the second quarter. Perhaps even more significant is that Gideon enjoys substantial support from in-state and small (under $200) donors. By contrast, Collins’ fundraising efforts are attracting only 1.3% of small donations and only 5% of donations from within her own state.
When Gideon launched her campaign to take Collins’ seat, she made a succinct yet compelling case for why the people of Maine should cast their vote for someone else this time around. “At one point, maybe she was different than some of the folks in Washington,” Gideon acknowledged. “But she doesn’t seem that way anymore.” It is high time that people who have boldly dug their feet into the wrong side of history start paying for the bad decisions they made. Although the election is still over a year away, it seems increasingly the case that the days of having to listen to Collins’ “voice of moderation” crap are numbered.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month