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What They’re Saying: Susan Collins “Sure Blew It” on Supreme Court Pick

Senator Susan Collins solidified her position as one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country when her ridiculous defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh fell apart in the wake of his vote to make Roe v. Wade obsolete. The political setback is making the kind of headlines you don’t want when running for reelection. Take a look:

WATCH: “Susan Collins put a lot of weight on this in deciding to vote for him.

“During his confirmation hearings, Susan Collins put a lot of weight on this in deciding to vote for him. He said he respected precedent and the implication was he respected Roe v. Wade. The vote yesterday is a strong indication, I think, that Kavanaugh will vote against Roe v. Wade, against abortion rights and so the replacement of Kavanaugh for Kennedy means the end of abortion rights.”

Washington Post: Democrats slam Collins for Kavanaugh vote in wake of Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana abortion law

By Felicia Sonmez and Michael Scherer

Key Points:

  • Democrats and liberal groups on Friday pointed to a Supreme Court ruling in an abortion case to argue that Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, focusing their ire on Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who supported Kavanaugh’s nomination last year and faces a tough 2020 reelection.
  • Democrats are particularly incensed at Collins, who delivered a 44-minute-long floor speech in October declaring her support for Kavanaugh. At the time, Collins, who supports abortion rights, said she did not think Kavanaugh would vote to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.
  • “It’s hard to know what’s worse: misleading Mainers and Americans about a Supreme Court justice who just tried to make Roe v. Wade obsolete or raising hundreds of thousands of dollars off the vote,” DSCC communications director Lauren Passalacqua said in a statement. “Susan Collins keeps showing Maine families she’s not on their side and why she won’t be reelected if she runs.”
  • Twenty-two Republican-held Senate seats are at stake in the 2020 election, and Collins is among the most vulnerable incumbents. She is one of only two Senate Republicans facing reelection who represent states won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016; the other is Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado.

Sun Journal: Critics rip into Susan Collins after abortion ruling by Justice Kavanaugh

By Steve Collins

Key Points:

  • In the wake of Brett Kavanaugh’s dissenting opinion on an abortion case late Thursday, critics called Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins everything from “a raging fool” to an utter dupe for helping to put him on the Supreme Court.
  • Collins played a pivotal role in securing Kavanaugh’s nomination when she said she believed he would respect precedent and leave abortion laws intact.
  • She insisted in an October speech on the Senate floor that “his views on honoring precedent would preclude attempts to do by stealth that which one has committed not to do overtly” to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that recognized women’s right to choose to have an abortion.
  • But Kavanaugh’s decision on the Louisiana law appears to run counter to one the court made recently about a similar Texas law, a move that convinced pro-choice supporters to express alarm that Roe could be in trouble.

Huffington Post: Democrats Come For Susan Collins After Brett Kavanaugh Backs Anti-Abortion Law

By Jennifer Bendery

Key Points:

  • Collins, who says she supports abortion rights, defended her vote by saying she believed he would follow Supreme Court precedent ― that is, preserve Roe v. Wade.
  • Collins, who says she supports abortion rights, defended her vote by saying she believed he would follow Supreme Court precedent ― that is, preserve Roe v. Wade.
  • “We were called crazy and hysterical for suggesting he was hostile to #roevwade even though his record was clear,” Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, posted on Instagram. “Susan Collins, you own this.”
  • Collins raised nearly $1.8 million in the last quarter of 2018 and the vast majority of it came from out-of-state supporters of Kavanaugh. It was the best fundraising quarter of her life.

Associated Press: Collins Under Fire Over Kavanaugh Opinion

Key Points:

  • Critics of Republican Sen. Susan Collins are angry over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s opinion in an abortion case.
  • Critics say his dissent on the losing side of a Louisiana abortion law ruling is proof that he’s not following through on his assurance to respect past Supreme Court decisions on abortion.

Washington Post: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) Sure Blew It

By Jennifer Rubin

  • Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) sure blew it when she insisted Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh would uphold Roe v. Wade. “Kavanaugh’s dissent may be the real news here. He notes the supposed factual discrepancy and suggests that the court should just allow the law to go into effect. The lazy doctors could try again to get admitting privileges . . . His argument, in essence, is: Trust a government regulator with your rights. What could go wrong? This is, let’s say, an uncharacteristic argument for a conservative.”

 

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Senator Collins’ Supreme Court Judge Just Tried To Make Roe v. Wade Obsolete

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