Fund Susan Collins' Future Opponent

It's official.

Yesterday evening, the New York Times reported that Trump will be nominating Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat on the Supreme Court.

Amy is a notorious, ultra-conservative judge who has been openly critical of Roe v. Wade, disagrees with the legality of the Affordable Care Act, and has aided Trump in the courts to uphold his racist, anti-immigrant agenda. We have a plan to block her confirmation but we're going to need your help.

Republican Senators respond to only one thing: money. That's why we're calling on four swing state Republican Senators up for election in 2022 — Chuck Grassley, Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, and Ron Johnson — to either vote NO on Amy's confirmation, or else we'll donate all of the funds we raise to their Democratic opponents in 2022.

Will you pledge $20.22 right now to help send a loud warning to these Republican Senators that if they don't vote no — we're unseating them in 2022? You will ONLY be charged IF one of these Republican Senators votes for Trump's SCOTUS pick.

I can't emphasize enough how much of a devastating impact Amy Coney Barrett would have on the lives of millions of Americans if the Senate confirms her nomination to the Supreme Court. Everything from access to health care, gun control, LGBTQ rights, and reproductive rights is at stake in this fight.

But to make matters even worse, Trump has already admitted that one of the biggest reasons why he wants to confirm Amy before November 3rd is so he can get the Supreme Court votes he needs to fight any legal challenges related to the election. He's not even trying to hide it. Trump is stacking the Supreme Court with loyal supporters just so he can cling to power as long as he can — no matter the real results of the election.

We know that a lot of folks are furious, upset, and everything in between over the news about this upcoming confirmation battle.

But please remember: we are not powerless. If we work together these next weeks, we can make sure these four Republican Senators feel the pressure of our grassroots power. They know that this is the team that raised over $4 million to defeat Susan Collins after she voted for Brett Kavanaugh. And they know that she's now down in the polls because of our grassroots movement.

The stakes couldn't be higher. We need all hands on deck to fight harder than we ever have before to block Amy's confirmation and save our democracy. Can you pledge $20.22 or even just $2 to the #YOUARENEXT2022 campaign?

Onward,

Ady

We are furious, and these Senators think they are untouchable — we need to show them they are not safe. 

Back in 2018, Ady and all of us at Be A Hero had a bold message for Maine Senator Susan Collins: If you vote yes on Brett Kavanaugh, then we're going to raise money to defeat you. 

Well, thanks to you we piled up more than $4 million and she voted yes. And now, 12 points down in the polls, Susan’s feeling the full force of our small-dollar donations. 

We find ourselves at another pivotal moment. While we mourn the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mitch McConnell wasted no time committing to bring Donald Trump's appointee to a vote on the Senate floor. The Affordable Care Act, Roe v. Wade, even our democracy — it's all in jeopardy if they have their way.

That is why, once again, we are drawing a line in the sand. Starting today, we are calling on four swing state Republican Senators up for election in 2022 — Chuck Grassley, Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, and Ron Johnson — to either vote NO on Trump's nominee for SCOTUS, or else we'll donate all of the funds we raise to their Democratic opponents in 2022.

We know that Republican Senators respond to one thing and one thing only: money. Can you pledge $20.22 right now and tell these Republican Senators not to vote for a new Justice before the election or face consequences for their actions? You will ONLY be charged IF one of these Republican Senators votes for Trump's SCOTUS pick.

The hypocrisy is nothing short of astounding. In 2016, Senate Republicans refused to vote on Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court in February — yes, FEBRUARY — of an election year. 

Mitch McConnell himself said, "The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president."

It's maddening they've changed their tune with just 39 days to go until Election Day, but we're hopeful we can turn the tide. According to a new Data for Progress poll, 53% of voters believe that Republicans should wait until after the election before Trump fills the seat. 

We believe that if we can harness this frustration and anger into a real threat against vulnerable Republican senators who aren't feeling as much heat as their colleagues up for re-election this year, there's a good chance they may reconsider their position.

So Chuck, Marco, Pat, and Ron: Do you want to be the next Susan?

Pledge $20.22 to the Democratic nominees facing Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson, Pat Toomey, and Chuck Grassley in 2022. Your card only gets charged if one of the senators votes YES to confirm a new Trump SCOTUS pick. And all the money you pledge goes straight to the Democrats running against them.

This is our opportunity to show Republican Senators the strength of our grassroots movement — let's not waste it. Too much is at stake.

Thanks for joining us in this fight,

All of us at Be A Hero

In October 2018, we had a simple message for Susan Collins: If you vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, we're going to fund your future opponent. 

This simple message quickly went viral (we literally crashed our website) — and inspired thousands of Mainers and Americans to join our fight to make sure Susan Collins understands the consequences of her betrayal. 

We ended up raising over $4 million for Susan's future opponent. And now, we will finally transfer the fund to the Democratic nominee after the results are in from the Maine primary on July 14th.

Susan has made it clear she's furious about this fund and has complained about it multiple times to her supporters as a reason why she needs donations. That's why we're launching a goal to add $250,000 to this fund for Susan Collins' future opponent before we transfer it after the primary. 

We want Susan to know that we will never forget her betrayal and that this movement is still committed to beating her on November 3rd. Tell Susan that her time is up: Chip in $20.20 or anything you can today.

Just in the past month, Brett Kavanaugh has already voted in support of restrictions that would've closed down 99% of all clinics that offer abortions in Louisiana and a recent ruling that allows employers to deny access to birth control for employees. 

We can never forget the consequences of Susan Collins' infamous vote. And we cannot allow another Republican think they can get away with a betrayal like this. 

Thanks for being a part of this,

Liz Jaff and the entire team at Be A Hero

It’s official. 

Susan Collins just announced that she is officially running for re-election in 2020. She wants to keep her seat. With your help, we won’t let her. 

But unseating her won’t be easy. She will enter the race with an $8.6 million re-election war chest and she’s already running statewide television ads portraying herself as an independent, bipartisan senator.

Can you pitch in $20.20 to our campaign to tell the truth about her record and reach thousands of voters in Maine? We need to raise $5,000 today to get started.

It’s critical in these first 24 hours that we show that we are fired up to defeat Susan Collins. With your help, we can make sure every Mainer remembers the moment she betrayed us by voting to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. We will expose her for what she is – a right wing supporter of Trump and his agenda.

Your support – of our movement, of our democracy – has revealed Susan Collins for who she is, and now we need to double down and come out the gates in 2020 stronger than ever. 

We need everyone pitching in whatever they can if we’re going to win. That’s why we're asking you to make a $20.20 donation to our campaign to expose the truth.

It’s critical we have a strong start today if we want our momentum to continue through the election.

We’ve raised over $4 million for her future opponent – but we need to launch a massive campaign right now to tell the truth about Susan Collins. The more funds we have, the more people we can reach.

All of our work since she voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh has led us to this moment. Because of us, this seat is now up for grabs. 

Let’s take it. 

-Team Be A Hero

Big news. The longest-running polling survey in the Northeast just released its spring report and the results are amazing.

Susan Collins' approval rating dropped 17 percent since last spring.

The collapse of her reputation as a “moderate” is a direct result of our movement and deserves to be celebrated. These numbers confirm what we know: we CAN unseat Susan Collins, but her Democratic challenger needs our support.

Donate $17 now and 100% of your contribution will go straight to the campaign of her future Democratic opponent.

When asked about the reason for the massive drop, the president of Critical Insights – the group behind the poll – said:

"If I had to speculate on a single factor underlying this slip in Collin's approval rating, it would be her pivotal vote in Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court. Her approval was both strong and steady prior to her vote last fall, and it has continued to slip since then."

This race is winnable, but Susan Collins still has over $3.8 million in the bank. While her campaign is being bankrolled by corporate PACs and special interests, her opponent will rely on small-dollar donations from real people like you.

If enough of us pitch in – even just the cost of a cup of coffee – we can give Collins’ 2020 opponent a real head start in the race. Chip in now.

Every dollar brings us one step closer to unseating Susan Collins and gaining back a Democratic majority in the Senate.

When asked about Alabama’s radical abortion ban, Susan Collins said last week: “Obviously, it’s not something I would ever vote for.”

HA. Really?

This is precisely what she voted for when she cast the deciding vote to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

To make matters worse, she’s making a mockery of the nation’s panic claiming she’s confident that Kavanaugh will ‘keep his word’ and uphold Roe v. Wade.

Anyone who “trusts” Brett Kavanaugh is delusional and dangerous. We need Susan Collins gone – and together we can make it happen. Chip in to fund her opponent now.

Meanwhile, Susan Collins is shamelessly profiting from her Kavanaugh vote while thousands of women lose access to abortion care.

In the last three months, Senator Collins received the maximum allowable donation from Robert Mercer, the billionaire backer of Breitbart – the racist and bigoted website that proudly calls itself the “platform of the alt-right.” She received more money from Breitbart than from Maine residents.

It’s clear where her loyalties lie. Susan Collins has been bought off by right-wing extremists and special interests, which is why we need all of us to fight back and fund her future opponent.  

If you’re ready to unseat Susan Collins from the grassroots up, chip in $20.20 now - 100% of your money goes straight to the campaign of the person who will run against Collins.

Together we can make clear to every Congressperson that a vote against women’s rights will cost you your seat.

Susan Collins may be proud of her fundraising numbers this quarter – but she shouldn’t be.

Nearly all her campaign money – $1.1 million this quarter – came from corporate PACs, special interest groups, and big checks from large donors.

She only raised $15,000 from small-dollar donors. That's crazy.

Together, we’ve raised $4 million in small-donations for her opponent. In fact, we can raise more than $15,000 today.

Help us raise $15,000 dollars today to show Susan Collins that people power is stronger than the corporate donors and special interests who are funding her campaign.

Susan Collins betrayed us when she voted for Brett Kavanaugh, and now she’s betrayed us again by running a campaign for corporations, not people. That’s why we need all of us to fight back and fund her future opponent.  

Susan Collins made a terrible decision when she voted for Kavanaugh. She made also made a terrible decision when she decided to endorse Bruce Poliquin for Maine’s second congressional district.

Rep. Bruce Poliquin has represented Maine’s 2nd congressional district since 2015, but has he ever really represented the people? Just last year he voted to take away healthcare from millions of Americans, harming my family and so many others like mine.

In less than two weeks we’ll get our chance to make sure he can’t hurt us anymore. On November 6th, Mainers can vote him out. 

Rep. Poliquin betrayed my family and yours. Senator Collins, however, feels differently. She supports Rep. Poliquin and thinks he really fights for the people of Maine. Well, Senator Collins has shown us very clearly that she doesn’t care about what the people think or want. Mainers deserve better than Senator Collins, and they deserve better than Rep. Poliquin.

That's why we made this ad against Poliquin - will you donate $3 today to boost our ad in Maine and make sure the voters know what their “representative” has been up to in Congress?

Bruce Poliquin clearly doesn’t want to serve the people, so why should he continue to hold public office? Let’s get him out.

Ady

Last week, Susan Collins sold out women and people with pre-existing conditions when she voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. And now, she’s getting rewarded by right-wing dark money groups.

Kavanaugh may be sitting on the Supreme Court today, but evidently that’s not enough for his supporters. Conservative extremist group the Judicial Crisis Network – which has been pumping money into ads supporting Kavanaugh for months – is buying up TV and digital ads in Maine supporting Senator Collins. What's more, Senator Grassley has vowed to raise $3 million to support Senator Collins.

Let’s be clear about what this is: it’s retaliation. It’s conservative special interests seeing our momentum – and money – and feeling threatened. They have almost unlimited cash, and we have… us. Let's prove that our people power can outwork them.

With her vote for Kavanaugh, Collins ended her career. Now conservative groups are working to keep her in office. We cannot let their influence stifle the will of the people once again. We need to make sure that dark money groups like Judicial Crisis Network can’t override the voice of the people, who overwhelmingly reject Collins’ decision on Kavanaugh.

Every person who chips in to support Maine’s 2020 Democratic Senate nominee helps make sure they don’t have that power. 

Let’s hit $4 million today and end Senator Collins’ career for good. 

Will you chip in once more to help us hit our goal?

Thanks to your hard work, we’ve raised almost $4 million for Senator Susan Collins’ future democratic opponent. I want to be very clear about what this enormous people powered effort means: it means Game Over for Senator Collins.

We can’t let up the pressure now. 

Here’s the thing: Senator Collins and all of her Republican colleagues have seen what our people power has already accomplished. They know that we’re doing the hard work now to replace Senator Collins in 2020. And they’re preparing to fight back. 

They have powerful, wealthy donors on their side. We have… us. Let’s show them that our people power will win every time.

Help us hit $4 million raised for Senator Collins’ future opponent -- use the button below to donate $20.20 one more time. 

Thanks for being with us,

Ady

Hey,

Wanted to give you a quick update: this movement has so much momentum that we crashed Crowdpac!

Fortunately, our friends there got it back up and running, with much more capacity to handle donations. And since we passed our original goal of $2 million before Susan Collins even announced her vote, we’ve decided it’s time to double down.

Contribute $20.20 now to help us reach our NEW goal of $4 million for Senator Collins’ future opponent, then forward this email to 5 friends to help us keep up this incredible momentum:

We've been watching the hearing today, and we're furious. 

Senator Chuck Grassley made his message loud and clear at Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony: he does NOT believe women, he does NOT support survivors of sexual assault, and he will defend sexual predators, no matter what.

So we decided it was time to send our own message to Senator Chuck Grassley:

Hey Chuck -- we’re the people who worked with Mainers to raise over $1.5 million for Senator Collins’ future Democratic opponent, if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh. But after witnessing your disgusting misogyny and cruelty at Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony, we decided to try a different approach with you:

We're not waiting for your vote. We are building a campaign to fund your future Democratic opponent.

Because Chuck has already raised $1,078,202 from lobbyists, we need to be prepared to spend big money to defeat him.

Will you fight back against rape culture in the Senate by contributing to fund Senator Chuck Grassley’s future Democratic opponent NOW, and help us match his $1,078,202 from lobbyists?

Your money will go directly to It Starts Today, where it will be held for the Democratic Nominee to run for Senate in 2022. 

Are you feeling infuriated? Channel that fury into action, and help us vote Grassley out in 2022:

http://bit.ly/defeatgrassley

This campaign has been about respectfully demanding that Senator Susan Collins stand up for her constituents and show her independence from Trump and the GOP in opposing Kavanaugh...and if not, we will fund your future opponent. Always with respect.

But last night, Sen. Collins said something beyond the pale that reveals the way she thinks and where she gets her information.

In an interview, Collins was asked about Brett Kavanaugh’s yearbook, where in coded messages he allegedly bragged about sexual conquests.

Here was her answer:

“I was just handed the yearbook page and I don’t know what to make of it,” Collins told HuffPost. “Frankly, at the risk of sounding very naive, I don’t know what many of the references mean, and so I just don’t know what to make of it. There are rumors — there are so many rumors — that there are issues with Christine Ford’s yearbook as well. I don’t know whether that’s accurate or not accurate. I don’t know what to make of someone’s high school yearbook.”

The rumor she’s talking about is a lie whose origin has been traced back to Alex Jones, the notorious right-wing conspiracy theorist who was kicked off of Twitter for his hate speech.

That Susan Collins would repeat this lie shows that her information diet has been shockingly penetrated by the far-right wing, far outside the mainstream of American thought -- the same cesspool that spawned the Donald Trump presidential campaign.

That she finds the lie compelling enough to mention in an interview shows that Collins fundamentally believes women are responsible for sexual violence perpetrated against them. Why else would Dr. Ford’s yearbook even be relevant to the conversation?

Collins’ shocking comments show that it is more urgent than ever to reach her NOW.

Please take a moment and pledge $20.20 once more to Susan Collins’ future opponent...IF she does the unthinkable and votes to seat Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court:

Our campaign to pressure Susan Collins on her vote is more important than ever: Members of the press are starting to realize what we already know: Susan Collins is the most important vote for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

She alone can stop his nomination dead, and she alone could put him on the bench.

Alexander Bolton, a reporter at The Hill, a news organization that covers Congress, just published a story with the headline “Kavanaugh’s fate rests with Sen. Collins”. Here is an excerpt:

"Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a prominent moderate voice and one of the Senate’s most conscientious members, is poised to make or break Brett Kavanaugh’s chance at becoming a Supreme Court justice.

"A big reason for that is several Senate colleagues are waiting to see what Collins will do before announcing their positions."

Survivors are speaking out all week as we wait to hear Dr. Ford’s testimony. And Susan Collins is her most important audience.

Will you pledge $20.20 one more time now, at this crucial moment, to help us meet our goal of $2,000,000 pledged to go to Collins’ future opponent if she votes for Kavanaugh?

Thanks for your support.

We want to thank you for showing up for our movement and fighting to save our democracy, and update you on where things stand.

The vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination has been postponed, after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s bravely came forward with disturbing allegations of sexual assault. Dr. Ford has since requested that the FBI investigate her accusation.

instead of supporting this courageous woman, Susan Collins is putting pressure on her to testify before the Judiciary committee in a matter of days. Here’s what Collins said on Twitter:

How is this hard? What happened to believing women?

What is the rush, other than political expediency for the GOP?

There is none.

If Susan Collins wants to be the champion for women she claims to be, she needs to support Dr. Ford’s request for an investigation, and ultimately, reject this nominee.

It’s clear that Kavanaugh is not fit for our nation’s highest court and if Susan Collins doesn’t see that, we will replace her with someone who does.

Great news! Today we matched every dollar of Susan Collins’ corporate PAC-funded campaign account with a people-funded campaign of our own.

But we’re not stopping there.

Pledge toward our new goal of $1.5 million and tell Susan Collins once again: This is your legacy. Vote to #StopKavanaugh, or we will fund your future opponent, and defeat you.

http://crowdpac.com/campaigns/...

There's a great article in Slate explaining that in a country governed by big money Super PACs allowed by Citizens United (Kavanaugh would make it worse!), this type of campaign is one of few options that ordinary Americans have to make their voices heard. Here's an excerpt:

You can read the full article here: 

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/susan-collins-complains-of-bribery-after-nonbillionaires-try-to-influence-her-kavanaugh-vote.html

Our plutocratic enemies are running scared. Let's make them feel the pain.

September 12th, 2018

Contact:

Mike Tipping, Mike@mainepeoplesalliance.org

Marie Follayttar Smith, mfalpac@gmail.com

Mainers Defend Their Right to the First Amendment and Fight Back Against Bogus Attacks from Senator Susan Collins

In a heated atmosphere around the Supreme Court nominations, an online fundraising pledge campaign supported by Mainers for Accountable Leadership, the Maine People's Alliance, and Be A Hero, founded by national health care advocate and ALS patient Ady Barkan has now raised over $1 million online from almost 40,000 small dollar donors to unseat Senator Collins, IF she decides to support the nomination of Kavanagh to the Supreme Court. See the campaign's metrics in real time by clicking here.

Instead of paying attention to the messages from her constituents, Senator Susan Collins ran to a notorious right wing news outlet to call the campaign “bribery.”

Jonathan Berkon, a partner in Perkins Coie’s Political Law Group, defended the legality of the program. “Through this grassroots effort, Mainers are making clear to Senator Collins that they will defeat her for reelection if she defies the will of the people and votes to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. The First Amendment guarantees their right to do so. And federal law protects their right to pool their funds together now, when enthusiasm is at its peak, so that their campaign against a well-funded, four-term incumbent is viable two years from now. It is shameful that Republicans are using bogus legal threats to stifle this grassroots enthusiasm.”

"The idea of Susan Collins attacking an effort by 35,000 small dollar donors as bribery is politics at its worst,” said Marie Follayttar, the co-director of Mainers for Accountable Leadership.

“Thousands of Mainers are trying desperately to tell her that she needs to protect abortion access and critical healthcare coverage across the country by voting ‘no’ on Kavanaugh.”

“Sen. Collins owes it to her constituents to hear them out, and explain why Judge Kavanaugh's demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade, opposition to covering pre-existing conditions and repeated lies is not disqualifying. If she doesn't, we absolutely have the right to prepare to unseat her. Unlike Supreme Court judges, Senators do not enjoy a lifetime guarantee of their seat; they are accountable to the people.”

Ady Barkan, one of the founders of the Campaign said “Senator Collins took over $5 million from PACs and large donors like the Koch brothers. In exchange, she voted to cut their taxes and take healthcare away from people like me. Senator Collins may not really know what small dollar donations are, because during her last election campaign less than 3% of her money came from small dollar donors, while 44% came from PACs, but that still doesn't excuse smearing a grassroots effort from regular people pleading with someone in a position of power to do the right thing.”

Barkan, father dying of ALS, filmed the initial video begging Senator Collins to “be a hero” and vote “No” on Kavanaugh. Barkan originally gained national fame when he confronted Sen. Jeff Flake mid-flight with a plea to vote no on the tax bill.

Other support has been flooding in to the campaign that is well beyond $1 million now and gathered another $50k within the hour of Collins complaining that small donations could be seen as bribery.

Just a handful of responses can be seen here:

• Ady Barkan’s reponse to Washington Post https://twitter.com/AdyBarkan/status/1039721178422636545
• Michael Linden, Policy & Research Director at the Hub Project https://twitter.com/MichaelSLinden/status/1039636010173378561
• Chelsea Handler https://twitter.com/chelseahandler/status/1039580413134422016
• Andy Slavitt, Healthcare policy activist https://twitter.com/ASlavitt/status/1039336108738445313
• Amy Fried, Professor of Political Sci, U of Maine - https://twitter.com/ASFried/status/1039480611415764992
• Maine Democratic Party - https://twitter.com/MaineDems/status/1039684170300239872
• Congressman Ted Lieu https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1039696174062567426
• Tommy Vietor - https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/1039638988233965568
• Soledad O’Brien - https://twitter.com/soledadobrien/status/1039699927704711169
• People for the American Way - https://twitter.com/peoplefor/status/1039635446060515328
• Debra Messing - https://twitter.com/DebraMessing/status/1039725586653093888

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2018

Contact: Marie Follayttar, mfalpac@gmail.com

Fundraising Campaign Pledging to Fund a Future Opponent to Sen. Collins Crosses $1 Million Threshold

SCARBOROUGH, ME  -- A small-dollar grassroots effort collecting pledges of $20.20 from concerned Mainers and activists has smashed its initial goal of $250,000 to  secure more than $1 million in pledged support of a potential challenger to Sen. Susan Collins in the 2020 election. The funds will only be made available to her future general election challenger in Maine's 2020 Senate race if Collins votes to confirm President Trump's nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, to the Supreme Court. The new milestone represents a major victory for activists. Senator Collins must listen to the outpouring of Mainers demanding she protect them and publicly pledge to vote against Judge Kavanaugh, who has indicated willingness to overturn Roe v. Wade and gut health care protections for America's most vulnerable.

Over 35,000 donors have pledged to this campaign with a median pledge of $20.20.

"For too long, politicians like Susan Collins have made the calculation that they can vote with corporations and entrenched right-wing interests, as long as the next election is too far away for constituents to remember," said Marie Follayttar, the co-director of Mainers for Accountable Leadership, "That ends here. We're channeling the outrage and frustration of so many Mainers and activists who desperately want Sen. Collins to do the right thing and vote against Kavanaugh, but who also want her to know that we won't forget if she betrays us. There's already a very clear moral imperative to vote against Kavanaugh, and now Susan Collins has a political one too. We’ve called, we’ve emailed, we’ve visited her office - she won’t listen to us and we are going to stand together to make sure our voices are heard."

The online fundraising pledge effort is supported by Mainers for Accountable Leadership, the Maine People's Alliance, and Be A Hero, founded by national health care advocate and ALS patient Ady Barkan.

“When I speak together with the people of Maine, we can really make a difference for the entire country. Kavanaugh is a threat to my healthcare as well as thousands of others in the state of Maine and millions across America. The future of Americans’ healthcare for generations is once again coming down to the vote of Susan Collins,” said Ady Barkan. Barkan is the Father Dying of ALS made famous when he confronted Senator Jeff Flake on a plane in December 2017 begging him to vote against the tax bill and “Be A Hero”.

 ###

Thanks for your support and for reading our release. We've caught Susan Collins' attention -- time to drive the point home.

This week has been huge for the Be A Hero movement, and it’s all thanks to you. We showed up in force to Brett Kavanaugh’s hearings with Women’s March and CPDA– and over 200 protesters were arrested.

We worked hard to reach our $500k fundraising goal, and then blew it out of the water. Now, our goal is to raise $1.3 million – the same amount as Senator Susan Collins has in her campaign bank account.

If you share our campaign with just three friends, we will reach that new goal. I know, it sounds like a lot of money. That’s because it is. But we’ve already raised over $670,000 and our movement has turned heads around the country doing it. With every arrest, every fist raised in protest and every voice raised in objection to the actions of this corrupt Republican judicial agenda, we send waves across the country.

Can you share our campaign with three friends right now?  We need your help to keep up the drumbeat against Kavanaugh and for our healthcare.

If there’s one thing this week has proven, it’s that when Trump and Republicans in Congress jeopardize our healthcare and our lives, the people – thousands of us – are ready to stand up, fight back and stop them.

We’ve raised nearly $500,000 in pledges in just a few shorts weeks -- but Senator Susan Collins STILL won’t commit to rejecting  Kavanaugh. So we’re taking things up a notch, and setting a NEW goal:

According to the latest fundraising reports, Senator Collins has $1,302,388 in her campaign bank account. So we’re going to match that, and raise $1,302,388 in pledges to support her future Democratic opponent if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh.

This is going to be an enormous undertaking, but with so much at stake, it’s absolutely necessary. Senator Collins needs to know that Mainers will be able to unseat her if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh, and the only way to do that is to match her funding, dollar for dollar, so that it’s clear that her eventual opponent has the support to win.

This is our opportunity to show strength to Collins ahead of the vote -- we hope we can count on you to step up and help us make this happen by pledging and sharing this campaign. Thank you for all of your support so far.

-- Ady, Amy, and Marie

Be A Hero PAC

Maine People’s Alliance

Mainers for Accountable Leadership

It's hearing week in DC - and America is turning it's eyes towards one of the most pivotal votes the Senate will make in this decade....

Last week a Huffington Post article announced that Senator Collins is leaning towards a vote for Brett Kavanaugh. We have one week. 

We are almost to our goal of $250,000 so we have upped it one last time to be ready for this week. $500,000

If everyone on the campaign invited 2 other friends to pledge $20.20 we would be over half a million. 

On Friday Mainers got together from Portland, Lewiston, Hallowell, Cornish, Augusta, Camden, South Portland, and Fort Fairfield  and made a special video for Collins.

Vote NO on Brett Kavanaugh - or we will replace you. 

You can watch it here. 

We have one shot for her to hear her constituents. 

Please share their video and ask your friends to support the Mainers. 

We must #STOPKAVANAUGH

NowThis just shared our campaign. That's because of you!!

Conditional pledging has never been tested before like this when it comes to a key vote. 

Thank you for what you do. 

If everyone shared this campaign and got 2 more people to pledge to this campaign, we could hit half a million. 

Let's keep fighting. 

-Ady 

We have wonderful news,

Mainers for Accountable Leadership are joining our campaign! 

I met with them a few weeks ago when the Be A Hero team went to visit Senator Collins in her home state to plead with her not to vote for Kavanaugh. 

She has to understand that her constituents want her to vote NO. 

This isn't about outside influence. The people of Maine are running this campaign.  Starting Monday Mainers for Accountable Leadership will be holding phone banks to call through voters in Maine to ensure that IF Collins votes for Kavanaugh they will be ready to take her on!! The pledges you've made so far are helping them send a strong message to Senator Collins that they mean business.

"Maine people are speaking out and saying a vote for Kavanaugh is intolerable. We're building momentum every day, and Susan Collins needs to respect the fact that Maine lives are at stake, and we will hold her accountable,” said Marie Follayttar, Co-Director of MFAL. “We're excited to once again join with Ady to promote and amplify Maine voices."

Please lets keep up this momentum and pledge to this campaign, share this campaign and support the good people of Maine. 

- In solidarity - Ady

Apologies to TV producer Morgan J Freeman, and to the actor Morgan Freeman we mistook him for! Look those twitter handles are tough man.

Now let’s take this opportunity to make sure *every Morgan* on the planet hears about our campaign and signs up to stop Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.

Here’s a quick list of the amazing support we’ve had:

• Alyssa Milano

• Rosie O’Donnell

• Amy Schumer

• Joss Whedon

• Chelsea Handler

• Debra Messing

• Eric McCormack

• Bradley Whitford

• Delaney Tarr

• Piper Perabo

• Randi Mayhem Singer

• Baratunde Thurston

• Holland Taylor

• Michael Kelly

• Martina Navratilova

• Travon Free  

We're upping our goal to $500,000 and we need your help to hit it by Monday. Please accept our apologies and share our campaign with 5 friends today!

Apologies to TV producer Morgan J Freeman, and to the actor Morgan Freeman we mistook him for! Those twitter handles are tough!

Now let’s take this opportunity to make sure *every Morgan* on the planet hears about our campaign and signs up to stop Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.

Here’s a quick list of the amazing support we’ve had:

• Alyssa Milano

• Rosie O’Donnell

• Amy Schumer

• Joss Whedon

• Chelsea Handler

• Debra Messing

• Eric McCormack

• Bradley Whitford

• Delaney Tarr

• Piper Perabo

• Randi Mayhem Singer

• Baratunde Thurston

• Holland Taylor

• Michael Kelly

• Martina Navratilova

• Travon Free  

We're upping our goal to $500,000 and we need your help to hit it by Monday. Please accept our apologies and share our campaign with 5 friends today!

Hi Everyone, 

This is amazing - I cant believe we surpassed our goal already! We are rocketing ahead. 

$100k and moving up! 

Our lives and our children's lives depend on this. 

Thank you so much to all of you for supporting us and pushing this story. We are going to keep upping this goal. Susan Collins has $1.5 million "Cash on Hand". 

If each of you got one person to match your donation we will get to $200k. If we get 5 people to match we get to half a million by the end of the week - and there is no way that Senator Collins can ignore that. 

Please share this campaign, please make sure people are pledging - lives are at stake. We need you. 

In solidarity - Ady

You are all incredible! We got past 1000 pledges and past $50,000. This is an amazing start to this campaign. Senator Collins has $1.5million cash on hand. We need her to hear our message. She has to vote NO on Kavanaugh! Our future depends on it. Please get 10 of your friends to pledge. If we do we will get to $500k and make sure she can hear us. She must vote NO. Grassroots donations can make the difference.

#StopKavanaugh 

Thank you so much for your support. 

In solidarity 

Ady 

Thank you to everyone who has pledged to this campaign so far! 

We really are sending Senator Collins a message. Please make sure you share this campaign on Twitter and ask others to pledge. We are 40 pledges away from our first goal of 1000. Let's keep pushing. 

A Vote for Kavanaugh is a vote for our own funeral - we must fight back. 

- Ady 

We have 110 pledges so far in just the last hour an a half! This means if each of you asked 5 other folks to pledge we would reach our 550 pledges and be half way to our goal TODAY. 

Please keep it coming - this will help us get on the media, and get this campaign in front of Collins. It's time to push hard and show that there are serious ramifications to her actions. 

In Solidarity - Ady