Site Fundraising for Collins Opponent Crashed From Donations

Authored by thecut.com and submitted by elinordash
image for Site Fundraising for Collins Opponent Crashed From Donations

Susan Collins. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Senator Susan Collins of Maine is no longer undecided. In a speech from the Senate floor on Friday afternoon, the GOP senator said that she found Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony about her alleged assault by Brett Kavanaugh compelling, but that she would still be voting “yes” on Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. Collins’s declaration incensed so many that a website crowdsourcing funds for her Democratic opponent crashed because it was inundated with donations.

Senator Susan Collins has people more motivated than we've ever seen before. Hold tight, we'll be back shortly. — Crowdpac (@Crowdpac) October 5, 2018

Back in August activist Ady Barkan, the Maine People’s Alliance, and the Mainers for Accountable Leadership launched a crowdsourcing page on the website Crowdpac.com. The purpose of the page, called “Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent,” was to encourage Collins to vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation — if she did, people who pledged money to the campaign would not be charged; if she didn’t, the money would all go to whoever ran as her Democratic opponent in 2020. The recommended pledge is $20.20.

The page raised over a million dollars in a month, receiving support from celebrities like Morgan Freeman, Alyssa Milano, and Debra Messing, but it was so overwhelmed with traffic during Collins’s speech on Friday that the whole site crashed. In a statement, Crowdpac CEO Gisel Kordestani wrote that their site received 90 times the average amount of traffic they see hourly, and that it overwhelmed their servers. The site was back up a couple of hours later.

As of Friday afternoon, the campaign has received over $2 million in donations from over 700,000 people. Brett Kavanaugh will, in all likelihood, be elected to the Supreme Court tomorrow evening.

prophet583 on October 6th, 2018 at 20:22 UTC »

Former NSA Susan Rice is seriously considering running against Collins in 2020.

guiltyofnothing on October 6th, 2018 at 19:09 UTC »

Her speech was disgusting.

She made up her mind weeks ago and just loved playing this will-she-won’t-she guardian of the sensible middle act.

elinordash on October 6th, 2018 at 18:07 UTC »

Collins’s declaration incensed so many that a website crowdsourcing funds for her Democratic opponent crashed because it was inundated with donations.

I have seen the link to this fundraiser everywhere in the last 24 hours but Susan Collins isn't up for re-election until 2020. And she might have already decided to retire. I think there are more effective ways for people to channel their liberal frustration.

Make sure you are registered to vote and encourage people in your life to do the same. Vote.org. Rock the Vote.

Contact your Member of the House and tell them to pass VAWA. Even If Kavanaugh Gets Confirmed, We Must Fight For the Violence Against Women Act. Use 5 Calls (takes a minute to load) or text RESIST to 50409 to use resistbot.

Contact your Senators and tell them to protect people with pre-existing conditions. Trump Misleads on Preexisting Conditions. Use 5 Calls (takes a minute to load) or text RESIST to 50409 to use resistbot.

I know people are burned out with contacting their Senators right now, but it is an effective strategy. Phone calls saved the ACA last year. It's just the phone calls don't work every time. But always be polite to the 22 year old answering the phone.

Volunteer to campaign for Democratic candidates. Volunteering can make a big impact, particularly if you are in a red or purple area. And there are more of those areas than you think, Manhattan is super liberal, but Staten Island isn't. Swing Left will suggest a nearby district for you to focus your activism. Flippable is another site that will give you a range of volunteer options.

In another subreddit, someone from the North Dakota DNC put out a call for volunteers for Heidi Heitkamp's campaign. Heidi Heitkamp is the anti-Susan Collins, she may lose her seat because she refused to vote yes on Kavanaugh. Volunteer to help elect Democrats. (Also- most campaigns will give you a free lawn sign if you reach out to them directly).

Donate to Democratic candidates who are running in 2016. Heidi Heitkamp may lose her seat over her refusal to vote for Kavanaugh. Donating to her campaign as a thank you makes way more sense than donating to Susan Collins's 2020 opponent.

Other "No on Kavanaugh" Senators in a tight 2018 race are: Joe Donnelly- Indiana, Claire McCaskill- Missouri, Bill Nelson- Florida, and Jon Tester- Montana. There are also some seats the Democrats could reasonably take: Jacky Rosen- Nevada, Kyrsten Sinema- AZ, Mike Espy- Mississippi, and the internet favorite Beto O’Rourke- TX. (All links go to campaign webpages)

There are also lots of important House races. Dana Rohrabacher (R) and Harley Rouda (D) are in a tight race in Orange County, CA. Which is crazy because Republican party leaders have been caught on tape saying they think Dana Rohrabacher is paid by Russia. Donate to Harley Rouda or (if you're local) volunteer for his campaign. Another tight race is Kim Schrier (D) and Dino Rossi (R) in Washington State. You can donate or volunteer for Kim Schrier here. A third tight race is Tom Malinowski (D) and Leonard Lance (R) in New Jersey. You can donate or volunteer for Tom Malinowski here. A fourth tight race is Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) and Carlos Curbelo (R) in Florida. You can donate or volunteer for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) here.

Join an action group. Be a Planned Parenthood Defender. Be a Two-Minute Activist for the American Association of University Women. Join the Woke Vote Army (geared towards black activists).

Write letters encouraging people in other districts to vote in November. You need to have access to a printer and stamps to participate. Here's the link.

Volunteer to be a poll worker. This is generally an all day job, but you do get paid and you can help decrease voter wait times. Check with your county board of elections to see if they are still hiring.

If you own a car and have a flexible schedule, bookmark carpool vote. They help connect volunteer drivers and people who need a ride to the polls, but the site is currently being updated. Hopefully it will be working again by election day. Link

Keep your head up. Things might feel dark right now, but keep in mind there is a 73% chance that Democrats will control the House in November. The odds in the Senate are a lot lower at 22% but stranger things have happened.