Is Susan Rice planning to challenge Susan Collins for her Senate seat?

Oct 6, 2018

The political world is buzzing about whether former Obama administration official Susan Rice could be planning to challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, now being viewed as a traitor by some.

The word comes one day after Collins announced she would vote in favor of the controversial nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, virtually guaranteeing an approval in Saturday’s Senate vote. The move branded Collins a traitor by elected officials and activists who argue Kavanagh is not fit to serve on the high court due to charges of sexual assault.

Speculation about Rice, national security adviser under President Obama and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, began after former White House communications director Jen Psaki tweeted on Friday, “who wants to run for Senate in Maine? There will be an army of supporters with you.”

Rice’s one-word Twitter response, “Me,” set social media abuzz.

The group Indivisible Network quickly announced a political action committee that is raising money toward a Rice Senate bid. In response to one Twitter user’s question as to whether Rice has ties to Maine, another pointed out that her mother is from there and she has spent summers there.

Rice later tweeted, “Many thanks for the encouragement. I’m not making any announcements. Like so many Americans, I’m deeply disappointed in Senator Collins’ vote for Kavanagh. Maine and America deserve better.”

On Friday, Collins announced on the Senate floor that she would vote to approve Kavanagh, questioned before a Senate panel about alleged sex abuse and alleged alcoholic blackouts. Collins’ decision gives Kavanagh the necessary votes to be confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kavanagh has denied the abuse accusations.

“My fervent hope is that Brett Kavanagh will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court so that we have far fewer 5-4 decisions and so that public confidence in our judiciary and our highest court is restored,” Collins said.

Collins, who was viewed as a swing vote in the tumultuous battle over Kavanagh, is up for reelection in 2020.