1820 PAC is funded by one of the largest dark money groups in the country and a billionaire
While Gideon refuses to take a dime of corporate PAC money, Collins has taken over $5.6 million from corporate PACs
Senator Susan Collins’ record of voting against common sense legislation that roots out corruption and big money in politics is extensive. Collins’ opposition to pro-democracy and anti-corruption legislation has helped create a rigged system where outside groups can spend unlimited money without disclosing their donors. Now that Collins is facing the toughest re-election of her career, those special interests are rushing in to save her.
Throughout the 2020 election cycle, billionaires, super PACs and dark money groups have stepped up their operations to keep Senator Collins in office. Her votes against critical legislation like the DISCLOSE Act and her refusal to support the For the People Act allows these big money groups to continue supporting her. One of those groups, 1820 PAC, a super PAC funded largely by a billionaire, is working in coordination with one of the largest dark money corporate special interest groups in the country, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to boost Senator Susan Collins’ campaign.
“Senator Collins is reaping the benefits of a rigged system that she helped create,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United. “When you vote to let billionaires and corporations have the power to spend unlimited money without disclosing their identities, they will do whatever they can to pad their bottom line and rig the system against ordinary people. Senator Collins helped pave the path for corporate special interests to spend unlimited and undisclosed money in our elections, and now she is welcoming their support in order to save her political career. It’s the epitome of Washington corruption.”
Read more about how Collins is benefitting from the rigged system she helped create:
-
The American Independent: Susan Collins is mad about ‘dark money’ ads. But she’s the reason they’re legal.
-
Daily Beast: Conservative News Giant Newsmax Is Funding a Super PAC for Its Publisher’s GOP Senate Ally
-
Salon: FEC complaint: Mysterious Hawaii company illegally funneled $150K to pro-Susan Collins super PAC
-
The Daily Beast: Who’s Behind the Mysterious PAC Dropping Huge Sums to Reelect Susan Collins?
-
Portland Press Herald: Outside group spends big on media blitz to support Sen. Collins’ campaign
Senator Collins has worked to maintain the undue influence of corporations and unlimited, undisclosed money in politics. In 2014, Collins voted to block a constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United. Collins has also repeatedly voted against anti-corruption and transparency bills, like the DISCLOSE Act, which would require dark money groups to disclose their donors and political spending when engaged in political activity. In the end, Collins voted to help pass a bill that gave corporations a $1.5 trillion tax cut and puts Medicare and Social Security at risk while lower and middle class Maine families struggle to get by.
Senator Collins has not expressed support for the 2019 DISCLOSE Act. The bill, introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, requires organizations that spend money to influence elections – including super PACs and dark money groups – to disclose the identities of donors who have given them $10,000 or more during an election cycle. It would also require an organization that spends $10,000 or more on political ads to file a disclosure report with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) within 24 hours of purchasing the ads. In 2010, Collins was the deciding vote against the DISCLOSE Act to put an end to undisclosed spending in elections. She stood with McConnell to kill the bill, which had 59 votes.
In January, End Citizens United Action Fund released its first annual legislative scorecard that tracked and graded the efforts of every member of Congress on money in politics and government reform issues. Senator Collins received an “F” for failing to support common sense legislation that roots out corruption, increases transparency, and strengthens ethics in government.
###