(Collins Watch contributed to this diary)
Today it was announced that Planned Parenthood endorsed Tom Allen for Senate. From their press release:
"We need a leader who will represent the interests of the thousands of Mainers served by Planned Parenthood," says Chris Quint, PPNNE Action Fund's Director of Public Affairs in Maine. "We need someone in the Senate who understands prevention and who will support quality, affordable health care and health information for women, men, and teens. And now, with the makeup of the Supreme Court and the lower courts highly influenced by the retrograde policies of the Bush administration, we need a leader who acknowledges the significance of the judiciary at every level. Planned Parenthood wholeheartedly agrees that Tom Allen is that leader."
What is remarkable is that Planned Parenthood had endorsed Allen's opponent, GOP incumbent Susan Collins in 2002. This is the first time Planned Parenthood has backed the challenger to a senator it had previously endorsed.
There's more:
Collins is well liked in Maine, and has made efforts to cultivate an image as a moderate (helped in large part by the lackluster media here). Additionally, because the population of Maine is small, her staff can be a lot more attentive to constituent needs, much more so than senators from more populous states.
But her vote to confirm Sam Alito to the SCOTUS, as well as her vote for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, her votes to confirm reactionary lower court judges like Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown, and silence regarding the recent Bush administration rule that would give health care providers wide latitude to discriminate in their treatment practices, seem to have tipped the balance for Planned Parenthood.
More from their press release:
"This election is absolutely pivotal for our organization and the people who count on us. We look forward to doing whatever we can to ensure the people of this state know who they can trust to protect their rights, protect our courts, and protect the health and safety of all Mainers. We will be engaging our nearly 14,000 activists across the State of Maine to do the same. Our job is to educate the electorate about Tom's 100% voting record with us and why, in this election, it is of the utmost importance that we stand up for Maine women and families."
As more and more Mainers learn about the myth of Collins "moderation," the more these people will find Tom Allen as the right choice to be Maine's junior senator.