Dear MoveOn member,

Last night, Sara Gideon won the Maine Democratic primary to take on Susan Collins—the least popular senator in the country—and polls of the matchup show that the race is neck and neck.^1,2,3

Gideon is the Speaker of the Maine House and built a reputation for standing up to Maine's own Trump-lite former governor, Paul LePage—and winning.⁴

Gideon would be the first person of color ever elected to Congress from Maine.⁵

And, in South Carolina, Jaime Harrison—who overcame grinding poverty to graduate from Yale and Georgetown Law and become the first Black chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party—is now tied in the polls with Lindsey Graham.^6,7

Harrison is running an inspiring campaign that signifies the type of leadership and unifying vision that we need, not only in the Senate but in the nation.

No two Republicans have done more to enable Donald Trump than Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham. And now is our chance to defeat them and replace them with strong, progressive leaders.

But Mitch McConnell and his corporate donors will spend any amount of money to save his majority.

Will you chip in $3 now to help Sara Gideon and Jaime Harrison fight back and win? Your donation will be split 50/50 between their campaigns.

It was nearly two years ago when, after hearing harrowing testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Lindsey Graham erupted in a screaming tirade, lashing out at Democrats and Dr. Blasey Ford herself, and telling then-nominee to the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh that he had "nothing to apologize for."⁸

Days later, Susan Collins broke the spirits of survivors across Maine and the country when she took to the Senate floor to announce that, despite the testimony and evidence against Kavanaugh, she would cast the deciding vote to confirm him to a lifelong appointment to the Supreme Court. She has defended that decision to this day, even while Kavanaugh has voted to strip abortion access from millions—a decision she claimed he would never make.⁹

Defeating both Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham is finally within our reach. The latest polling shows Collins down by four points in a head-to-head with Gideon, and Graham and Harrison are in a dead heat.^10,11

We need to win just three seats to end GOP control of the Senate and power a blue wave this fall, and these two seats are key. But we need your help to do it, John.

Will you donate $3 now, split evenly between Sara Gideon and Jaime Harrison's campaigns? 100% of your contribution will go directly to their campaigns.

Sara Gideon and Jaime Harrison have proven themselves to be compassionate leaders who will work tirelessly to undo the damage done by Donald Trump and the Republican Senate—and build an America for all.

Thanks for all you do.

–Dan, Amy, Anne, Allison, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Sara Gideon Wins Nomination to Challenge Susan Collins in Maine," The New York Times, July 14, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141070?t=4&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

2. "Sen. Collins ranks as least-popular senator in new poll," Portland Press Herald, January 17, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141082?t=6&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

3. "Collins trails Democrat Sara Gideon by 4 in Maine Senate race: poll," The Hill, July 6, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/140940?t=8&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

4. "Gideon cruises to victory in Democratic primary, moves on to high-stakes race for Senate," Portland Press Herald, July 15, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141083?t=10&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

5. "Democrat Sara Gideon Is Officially Running For Susan Collins’ Senate Seat," HuffPost, June 24, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/141084?t=12&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

6. "Meet Jaime," Jaime Harrison for U.S. Senate, accessed July 15, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141085?t=14&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

7. "Latest South Carolina Polls," FiveThirtyEight, accessed July 15, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141075?t=16&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

8. "Sen. Lindsey Graham tells Kavanaugh: 'This is the most unethical sham,'" CBS News, September 27, 2018
https://act.moveon.org/go/141076?t=18&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

9. "Sara Gideon attacks Susan Collins on abortion rights after Supreme Court ruling," CNN, June 30, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141086?t=20&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

10. "Collins trails Democrat Sara Gideon by 4 in Maine Senate race: poll," The Hill, July 6, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/140940?t=22&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

11. "Latest South Carolina Polls," FiveThirtyEight, accessed July 15, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141075?t=24&akid=268819%2E40999114%2EoUC5rS

Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?

Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

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