Political TV ads have become inescapable across the country ahead of the general election. With a competitive Senate race, Maine has been one of the states hit the hardest, and for that, Mainers have Senator Susan Collins to thank.
From 2010 to 2018, outside groups poured nearly $39 million in political ads and other spending in Maine. In the 2020 election cycle alone, Maine has been hit by over $84 million in outside spending, much of it on political ads. In total, since the disastrous 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, Maine has seen over $123 million in outside spending.
“Senator Collins had the opportunity to require dark money groups to disclose their big donors, but she didn’t. She had a chance to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, but she didn’t. She even had the opportunity to support the most comprehensive anti-corruption legislation since Watergate, but she didn’t,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “With the votes she has taken and the legislation she has blocked, Senator Collins helped create a corrupt system where corporations and mega-donors can spend unlimited and undisclosed money in elections.
“Unlike Collins, Sara Gideon views the role of Big Money in politics as a foundational issue. She already has a plan to end this Wild West era of letting corporate special interests and mega-donors call the shots in Washington.”
As a senior senator within her party, Senator Susan Collins had the power to limit this outside spending and the headache-inducing political ads Mainers have been inundated with, but chose to side with Mitch McConnell and her corporate special interest donors.
Here are some pieces of legislation that Susan Collins voted against or refuses to support that would end the dominance of unlimited and undisclosed money in politics:
-
A constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United:
-
In 2014, Collins voted to block a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that gave rise to super PACs and unleashed a flood of money in elections.
-
In the debate on September 11, 2020, Senator Collins maintained her opposition and once again stated she would not support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
-
-
The DISCLOSE Act:
-
This bill 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 that would have put an end to undisclosed spending in elections. Instead, she stood with Mitch McConnell to kill the bill, which had 59 votes and needed 60 to move forward.
-
Senator Collins’ concerns about the bill have been addressed in subsequent versions of the bill, but she has refused to co-sponsor the DISCLOSE Act, including the 2019 version.
-
-
For the People Act:
-
The most sweeping anti-corruption, voting rights, and ethics reform legislation in a generation. This bill would take on corruption in both parties, reduce the influence of Big Money in politics, shine a light on dark money, strengthen the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and safeguard our elections from foreign interference.
-
On disclosure, the bill shines a light on dark money in politics requiring all organizations involved in political activity to disclose their large donors. H.R. 1 also breaks the so-called ‘nesting-doll’ sham that allows big-money contributors and special interests to hide the true funding source of their political spending.
-
On oversight, H.R. 1 ensures that there are cops on the campaign finance beat that will enforce the laws on the books. H.R. 1 tightens rules on super PACs and restructures the FEC to break the gridlock and enhance its enforcement mechanisms. It also repeals Mitch McConnell’s riders that prevent government agencies from requiring common sense disclosure of political spending.
-
Senator Collins has stood with Mitch McConnell, who has refused to even hold a hearing on the bill, let alone a vote on the Senate floor.
-
###