>>> REPUBLICAN SENATOR SUSAN
COLLINS OF MAINE IS UP FOR
RE-ELECTION, AND SHE IS IN
TROUBLE.
BACK IN OCTOBER 2018 AFTER
COLLINS PROVIDED A CRUCIAL VOTE
FOR TRUMP SUPREME COURT NOMINEE
BRET KAVANAUGH PROGRESSIVES AND
FOR PONENTS OF THE NEW JUSTICE
VOWED TO MAKE HER PAY AND IT
LOOKS LIKE IT MAY BE WORK.
BACK IN 2017 SHE WAS ONE OF THE
MOST POPULAR SENATORS IN THE
COUNTRY, BY THE END OF LAST YEAR
HER NET APPROVAL SAT AT NEGATIVE
10%.
ENORMOUS SHIFT.
SHE’S NOW THE MOST UNPOPULAR
SENATOR IN IT COUNTRY WITH A
DISAPPROVAL RATING OF EVEN MITCH
McCONNELL AND SHE’S BEING
OUTRAISED BY HER MAIN
CHALLENGER.
SHE RAISED ALMOST $9 MILLION
THIS QUARTER ALONE, ALMOST
TRIPLE THE AMOUNT COLLINS RAISED
IN THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME.
AND A RECENT POLL SHOWS COLLINS
5 POINTS BEHIND AND NOW COLLINS
IS FACING HARSH POLITICAL ADS ON
THE LINCOLN PROJECT.
>> GREAT INDEPENDENT LEADERS
RISE FROM MAINE’S HEART SOUL,
ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL.
TAKE MARGARET CHASE SMITH WHEN
THE MEN IN THE SENATE WERE
TERRIFIED OF JOSIVE McCARTHY SHE
CALLED HIM OUT, JUST LIKE SUSAN
COLLINS STANDS UP TO DONALD
TRUMP.
OH, WAIT, SHE DOESN’T STAND UP
FOR DONALD TRUMP.
SHE MAKES EXCUSES FOR
CRIMINALITY, FOR CRUELTY OR
WHILE PRETENDING SHE’S WORRIED,
CONCERNED HOPING TRUMP LEARNS A
LESSON THIS TIME.
HE NEVER DOES.
AND MAINE DESERVES A LEADER NOT
A TRUMP STOOGE.
>> JOINING ME NOW REBECCA
TRACER.
SHE SPENT A GOOD PART OF HER
YEAR LAST YEAR WRITING ABOUT
COLLINS.
JOINS ME FROM HER HOME COUNTY OF
MAINE.
YOU HAVE A COLLINSOLOGIST FOR
THE LAST YEAR AND HAS BEEN
LOOKING AT THIS RACE EVER SINCE
THE KAVANAUGH VOTE.
WHAT’S YOUR ASSESSMENT OF WHERE
THINGS STAND RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, THE POLLING SHOWS HER
DOWN, WHICH IS SURPRISING.
SHE’S HAD A HISTORY OF
POPULARITY IN THIS STATE.
MAINE HAS A BIG HISTORY OF
POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE AND
COLLINS LIKE MANY OF HERFORE
BEARERS INCLUDING OLYMPIA SNOW
AND MARGARET CHASE SMITH FOR
YEARS ADVERTISED HER BIPARTISAN
CREDENTIALS, HER WILLINGNESS TO
LISTEN TO BOTH SIDES, AND IT
KEPT HER VERY POPULAR IN MAINE
FOR A LONG TIME, AND YOU COULD
SEE THAT EVEN IN THE LEAD UP.
IN AUGUST 2016 SHE WROTE AN
OP-ED SAYING SHE WOULDN’T VOTE
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP.
BUT THEN ONCE HE BECAME
PRESIDENT SHE VOTED WITH HIM BY
CERTAIN MEASURES EARLIER THIS
YEAR AS, YOU KNOW, AS HIGH AS
94% OF THE TIME.
AND HAS REPEATEDLY TAKEN VOTES
ON THE SIDE OF DONALD TRUMP
COMMITTING TO HIM AND HIS VERY
HARD RIGHT REPUBLICAN POLITICS
IN A WAY THAT HAS BECOME
ABSOLUTELY APPARENT TO MAINERS,
AND SHE’S STILL TRYING TO RUN RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW.
AN AD SHE PUT OUT TODAY SAID
BIPARTISAN AND EFFECTIVE.
SHE’S STILL TRYING TO RUN AS A
MODERATE BUT I THINK THERE’S
MUCH LESS WILLINGNESS TO UNDERSTAND HER AS BIPARTISAN OR
UNDERSTAND HER AS BIPARTISAN OR
INDEPENDENT AT THIS POINT.
>> THERE’S ALSO THE MACRO
FACTORS OF OUR POLITICS.
IT’S HARDER AND HARDER TO
REPRESENT STATEWIDE A STATE THAT
IS VOTING FOR THE OTHER PARTY AS
MUCH AS MAINE IS NOW.
>> YEAH, THAT’S ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
AND I MEAN THIS IS ONE OF THE
DYNAMICS -- ONE OF THE THINGS I
FIND VERY INTERESTING RIGHT NOW
IN THE COUNTY WHICH IS HER HOME
BASE, A VERY RIGHT LEANING RURAL
NORTHERN COUNTY IN MAINE, AND
I’VE BEEN HERE SINCE EARLY JUNE
THIS SUMMER IS I SEE TRUMP SIGNS
EVERYWHERE.
YOU CAN’T LEARN TOO MUCH ABOUT
SIGNAGE EXCEPT A BIT WHERE
ENTHUSIASM LIES.
I’VE HEARD NO ENERGY AROUND
SUSAN COLLINS RACE WHICH ALSO
TELLS ME EVEN THE HARD
CONSERVATIVES HERE AREN’T SEEING
THIS AS A CRUCIAL SENATE RACE
WHEN OF COURSE WE KNOW IT VERY
MUCH IS A CRUCIAL SENATE RACE.
AND THE BALANCE OF THE SENATE
COULD WIND UP HANGING ON MAINE
AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER STATES
WHERE THEY’RE AN IMPORTANT
SENATE RACE.
>> WHAT’S FASCINATING ABOUT THIS
THAT IS THIS IS THE HARD LESSON
SO MANY REPUBLICANS HAVE
LEARNED.
WHICH WHATEVER TRUMP HAS BEEN
ABLE TO PULL OFF IN SPITE THE
ODDS IT’S NAUTICACOMMUNICABLE.
TRUMP PEOPLE ARE TRUMP PEOPLE.
IT’S NOT JUST BECAUSE HE
INDEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITYS SUSAN COLLINS OR SHE’S
ON THE BALLOT THERE’S GOING TO
BE THAT SAME FEELING ABOUT HER.
>> AND IN FACT SOME OF THE PUSH
BACK SHE’S GOTTEN AND SHE’S VERY
EAGER A TO ADVERTISE THIS COMES
FROM THOSE TRUMP SUPPORTERS
BECAUSE HE DOES MAKE THOSE
NOISES ABOUT BEING CONCERNED AND
WORRIED AND SOMETIMES CENTURS
HIM EVEN WHILE VOTING WITH HIM
CONSISTENTLY WHAT SHE GETS FROM
HER MOST DEPENDENT VOTERS AND
FOLLOWERS HIS BASE SHE GETS
CALLED A RHINO, A REPUBLICAN IN
NAME ONLY AND SHE’S NOT
SUFFICIENTLY LOYAL.
SO SHE’S CREATED A SITUATION
WHERE THERE’S NO PATH FOR HER
AND YET SHE’S TRYING TO RUN FOR
THIS FIFTH TERM.
>> SO SHE’S GOT AN OPPONENT WHO
WON THE PRIMARY.
SHE’S THE SPEAKER OF THE MAIN
HOUSE.
I WANT TO PLAY THIS AD THAT’S A
NEGATIVE I GUESS, AN AD COLLINS
CUT AGAINST GIDEON BECAUSE IT
SEEMED KIND OF AN AD FOR GIDEON. TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT THEY JUST
TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT THEY JUST
PUT UP ON THE AIR.
BASICALLY THE AD IS LIKE SHE’S
GOT A BUNCH OF POSITIONS AND SHE
CALLS THEM ALL HER PRIORITY
WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT EVERY
POLITICIAN I’VE EVER INTERVIEWED
DOES.
IT’S A STRANGE AD.
IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE THEY’RE
GRASPING A BIT AT STRAWS.
>> IT ALSO OUTLINES ALL HER
STATED COMMITMENTS TO DO ALL
THESE URGENT THINGS SO
INADVERTENTLY THEY’RE DOING ALL
THE ADS FOR HER AND OTHER THINGS
SARA GIDEON SAID SHE WANTS TO
FIX IN MAINE.
AND THEY’RE USING ZOOM, AND
THAT’S A CAMPAIGN DYNAMIC
PLAYING HEAVILY ALL AROUND THE
COUNTRY.
SHE’S DOING A LOT OF CAMPAIGNING
VIA ZOOM, TEXT, SHE’S MUCH MORE
FLUENT WITH THE TECHNOLOGY THAT
IS CREATING THE NEED TO DO AN
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT CAMPAIGN.
SUSAN COLLINS ALREADY FACED
CRITICISM LONG BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC FOR NOT SPENDING AS
MUCH TIME AS SOME VOTERS FELT
SHE SHOULD IN HER STATE.
HER FELLOW SENATOR ANGUS KING
TENDS TO BE BACK HERE A LOT
MORE.
HE’S AN INDEPENDENT.
HE TENDS TO BE BACK HERE A LOT
MORE.
SHE’S FACED A LOT OF CRITICISM
FOR NOT HAVING TOWN HALLS, FOR
NOT TALKING IN FREE SITUATIONS
WITH VOTERS WHERE SHE MIGHT BE
CRITICIZED.
AND WHAT SHE HAS IN THIS
OPPONENT IS THIS TECHNOLOGICAL
CHALLENGE.
SHE CAN’T EVEN NECESSARILY COME
BACK AND EASILY DO THE KINDS OF
CAMPAIGNS OR PUBLIC EVENTS OR
HANDSHAKING THAT SHE MIGHT HAVE
OTHERWISE.
AND GIDEON HAS PROMISED TO TRY
TO MAKE UP FOR THE ABSENCE OF
IN-PERSON DOOR KNOCKING AND
HANDSHAKING BY DOING TEXTS AND
ZOOM AND HOLDING TOWN HALLS AND
GOING BACK AND FORTH.
AND SO FAR SHE’S BEEN PRETTY
ETIVE, AND THAT’S PART OF WHAT