For years, Planned Parenthood’s endorsement of Susan Collins was enough to persuade Erin Evans to vote for Maine’s longtime U.S. senator, believing that the moderate Republican would protect abortion access.
asserted
Republican → persuade → access
The 56-year-old from Portland described Collins’ critical vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, where President Donald Trump’s nominee eventually helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion, as a betrayal.
asserted
nominee → describe → betrayal
“I was a really uninformed voter,” Evans said.
asserted
Evans → say → ?
“I thought any woman from Maine was probably in line with me.”
asserted
woman → think → me
The Nov. 3 election will be the first time Collins is on the ballot since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, resulting in abortion being banned in much of the United States.
asserted
abortion → overturn → States
This time, Evans says she is backing Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state lawmaker and logger trying to deny Collins a sixth term.
asserted
she → say → term
Jackson and Democrats are hoping that voters like Evans will help flip a seat in a state the party has made a priority in the quest to retake the Senate.
asserted
party → hop → Senate
Both Collins and Jackson have made an effort to appeal to women, who make up the majority of Maine’s population and have had a slightly higher rate of voting than men, according to a recent report by democracy advocacy groups.
uncertain
who → make → groups
In campaign ads from both candidates, women are featured prominently.
asserted
women → feature → candidates
Democrats’ ads have focused heavily on Collins’ vote in support of Kavanaugh and describe her as caving to Trump.
asserted
ads → focus → Trump
The Democratic-aligned advocacy group Affordable Maine has spent nearly $10 million on ads stressing the senator’s backing of other Trump-appointed judges who oppose abortion.
asserted
who → align → abortion
An additional $32 million has been spent by Win Senate, a political action committee focused on Collins.
asserted
million → spend → Collins
Planned Parenthood Votes has so far spent at least $500,000 to run ads that include a female voter who regrets voting for Collins because of her Kavanaugh vote.
asserted
who → spend → vote
Yet Jackson is facing a steep challenge.
asserted
Jackson → face → challenge
Collins has a 30-year record of winning elections even as Maine voters have spurned Republican presidential nominees, including Trump, since 1988.
And the issue trails others in terms of importance to voters.
asserted
issue → have → voters
A New York Times/Siena poll conducted in September found that when asked in their own words what one issue will be most important in deciding their vote for Congress in November, almost no likely Maine voters mentioned abortion.
asserted
voters → conduct → abortion
‘I do not regret’ voting to confirm Kavanaugh, Collins says
Collins has long called herself a “pro-choice” Republican and a supporter of a woman’s right to an abortion.
asserted
herself → regret → abortion
She was one of the few Republicans endorsed by Planned Parenthood earlier in her political career.
asserted
She → endorse → career
In 2022, she co-sponsored legislation to put federal protections for abortion into law.
asserted
she → co → law
The position has put her at odds with her party but was in line with Maine voters.
asserted
position → put → voters
In 2020, the last time Collins sought reelection, the vast majority of Maine voters in the Senate race, 76%, said the Supreme Court should not overturn Roe v. Wade, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate.
uncertain
Court → seek → electorate
That included most Collins voters.
asserted
That → include → voters
Some 35% of voters who supported Collins in her successful reelection bid said they wanted Roe to be overturned.
asserted
Roe → support → bid
At the time, Collins waited months before announcing her decision in a 45-minute floor speech.
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Collins → wait → speech
Kavanaugh later joined the 6-3 conservative majority in stripping away constitutional rights to abortion.
asserted
Kavanaugh → join → abortion
Collins criticized the high court’s decision in 2022, but she has never publicly wavered in her decision to confirm Kavanaugh.
asserted
she → criticize → Kavanaugh
She told reporters in June that “I do not regret that vote.”
asserted
I → tell → vote
Collins had said before the 2018 vote that Kavanaugh, in a two-hour meeting with her, said he viewed Roe as settled law.
asserted
he → say → law
But her confirmation vote is what stands out in the minds of voters like Bente Lundh, 67, of Falmouth.
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what → stand → Falmouth
“She’s positioned herself as this moderate voter, but she’s really chopped that down with her vote for Kavanaugh,” Lundh said.
asserted
Lundh → position → Kavanaugh
For others, Collins’ long-standing record as a moderate continues to draw their support even if they are disappointed with the eventual overturning of Roe.
asserted
they → stand → Roe
“I think I’ve tried to not have my allegiance to party make me blind to what may be a better path from time to time,” said Mary Ann Lynch, a Democrat supporting Collins.
uncertain
Lynch → think → Collins
“Neither party, in my view, has a monopoly on the truth and how best to do things.
asserted
party → have → things
So I think it’s really important to have people who will reach across the aisle.”
asserted
who → think → aisle
Lynch added that Collins may have voted to confirm Kavanaugh, but she also voted to confirm Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who dissented in the abortion ruling.
uncertain
who → add → ruling
They were nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama.
asserted
They → nominate → Obama
Jackson makes his case to women, abortion rights supporters
Since launching his campaign in July, Jackson has announced a “Women for Troy” coalition made up of women from all 16 Maine counties and he has secured endorsements from abortion rights groups Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Freedom for All.
Jackson was serving as a top state senator when the landmark 1973 decision was upended in 2022.
asserted
decision → make → 2022
He says he worked to pass “some of the strongest protections for abortion access in the country.”
asserted
he → say → country
Yet Jackson has had his own hurdles.
asserted
Jackson → have → hurdles
The Democrat became a last-minute Senate nominee after Graham Platner dropped out this summer following criticism of his past relationships with women and a sexual assault allegation, which Platner denies.
asserted
Platner → become → which
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
