Yes, there may be still some time to get Susan Collins to vote against Kavanaugh. Yes, we should still keep calling to try and show her what a good idea it would be to vote against him. This story is written to remind both Susan Collins and the people of Maine how incredibly foolish it would be for Senator Susan Collins to vote in favor of Brett Kavanaugh from a political standpoint. So, let us set aside for a moment how terrible Brett Kavanaugh is, and let us look at this situation from the standpoint of what is smart politically.
Maine Has No Problem Electing A Senator That Votes With The Democrats
The other Senator from Maine, Independent-Democrat Angus King, votes with the Democrats and should easily win reelection this year. Therefore, it makes sense that Susan Collins should theoretically be able to be beaten by another person like Angus King. Perhaps she could, but it would be even easier for her to be beaten by a woman like Angus King—and one who readily embraces women’s issues.
Under normal circumstances, Susan Collins would be quite tough to beat because she has been a Senator since her election in 1996, and she has often tried to take a moderate position on various issues. One of the reasons for the longevity of Susan Collins has been her support among women because of her support of things like planned parenthood. Voting for Kavanaugh will destroy that relationship with women. If Susan Collins runs for re-election against a Democrat or an Independent candidate, and that candidate has a big advantage with women, which could easily happen if the Democrats, for example, choose a good woman candidate, and that good woman candidate runs on supporting Roe, blaming Collins for Kavanaugh, and supporting planned parenthood, Susan Collins will not survive.
I am sure Susan Collins knows this. The main reason for her apparent support of Kavanaugh has been her fear of being primaried from the Right by Republicans. However, a primary challenge to Susan Collins from the Right would be really foolish of Republicans because a hard Right Republican in Maine would be even easier to beat for a good Democratic or Democratic-Independent woman who embraces women’s issues
No, what Senator Susan Collins should really fear is the huge backlash that she will get for voting for Kavanaugh. If she votes for Kavanaugh, The Democratic Party luminaries should immediately start looking for a smart, hard-working, women’s issue’s friendly female Senatorial candidate to challenge Collins, and that candidate should make Susan Collins wear her Kavanaugh vote like an albatross around her neck. It will sink her.