Maine Democratic Party: Two Years Later – Senator Collins' False Promises About Brett Kavanaugh Have Been Laid Bare by His Record on Bench

AUGUSTA, Maine, Oct. 6 -- The Maine Democratic Party issued the following news release on Oct. 5:

Two years ago today, Senator Susan Collins took to the floor of the Senate to deliver her now-infamous speech announcing that she would vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. In her remarks, Collins vowed that Kavanaugh posed no threat to LGBTQ+ equality or reproductive rights, but just two short years later and Kavanaugh's record as a justice has already proven her a liar.

After Senator Collins insisted that Kavanaugh posed no threat to equal rights for LGBTQ+ Mainers, he dissented in a major LGBTQ+ employment discrimination case. Kavanaugh argued that employers should be able to fire people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and referred to the majority ruling to protect LGBTQ+ Americans as a "mistake of history and sociology."

Justice Kavanaugh proved that Senator Collins' promises about him were hollow again in a major anti-choice dissent in the June Medical case. He defied precedent to argue in favor of upholding a law that would have effectively eliminated access to abortion care in the state of Louisiana. Collins justified her vote to confirm Kavanaugh on the promise that he would respect precedent with regard to Roe v. Wade and reproductive rights. But even after he proved her wrong, Collins doubled down on her support for him.

With her votes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh and 180 of Trump's other right wing judicial nominees, Senator Collins has played a key role in Mitch McConnell's scheme to transform the federal judiciary with right wing judges who will threaten Mainers' rights for decades to come. One week after election day the Supreme Court will hear the Republican's case to strike down the Affordable Care Act, and thanks to Susan Collins, the fate of health care for nearly 100,000 Mainers will be in Kavanaugh's hands.

"Mainers have not forgotten Senator Collins' false promises about Brett Kavanaugh's respect for precedent," said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. "She promised he would not rule against reproductive rights or LGBTQ+ equality, but even after he's proved her wrong on both counts, she has maintained that she doesn't regret her vote in the least. Mainers deserve better, and we certainly won't regret our votes when we replace her with someone who will listen to us, not just their party leadership."