Ahead of the toughest reelection campaign of her career, Senator Susan Collins is relying more on corporate special interests than Mainers. While Collins boasted about her $2 million haul before actually filing her FEC report, she took $165,000 from corporate PACs in the second quarter of 2019. Of the $2 million she raised, Collins reported contributions from only 108 Mainers — a troubling sign for the campaign, but an impressive jump from the 13 Mainers who donated in Q1 of 2019.
“By bragging about her fundraising numbers before revealing who’s funding her campaign, Senator Collins tried to hide the fact that she’s propped up by corporate special interests,” said End Citizens United Spokesman Bawadden Sayed. “The lack of grassroots support behind her is a big problem for her campaign. Mainers deserve a leader who will stand up to the corporate special interests and Senate Majority Leader McConnell to fight for what’s best for Maine.”
Collins received $9,000 from pharma PACs, and took $11,000 from health insurance company PACs and an additional $8,400 from the CEOs of major health insurance companies. Registered federal lobbyists also donated over $55,800 to Collins’ campaign.
End Citizens United (ECU) named Collins to its list of “Big Money 20” targets for the 2020 cycle. The Big Money 20 aims to educate voters about incumbents who represent the worst of Washington and rally support for reforming the political system. The members of the Big Money 20 are incumbents who take money from corporate special interests, mega-donors, and industries like Big Pharma and Big Oil and then put those interests ahead of their constituents.
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