Could ex-Obama staffer Susan Rice be up to challenge Maine’s pro-Kavanaugh senator?
The former Obama administration national security advisor says she'll be able to give it some thought after the midterm elections
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U.S. Sen. Susan Collins seems to be feeling the post-Kavanaugh heat after a tweet from former Obama aide Susan Rice that hinted she might challenge Collins.
Two days after Collins, a Republican from Maine, cast an affirmative vote to confirm accused sex abuser Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, Raw Story is noting Collins removed an endorsement of Rice that was on her website. Collins was viewed as one of the swing voters in the controversial nomination and drew criticism from women nationwide after voting in favor in the close 50-48 vote.
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As the country waited on the Senate vote, and after Collins said publicly she would approve Kavanaugh, 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
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) October 5, 2018
Rice’s one-word response — “Me” — unleashed an avalanche of support. The group Indivisible Network quickly announced a political action committee raising funds toward a Rice Senate bid.
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On Sunday, CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted that Collins was saying that Rice doesn’t live in Maine.
“Susan Collins takes a whack at Susan Rice, saying she doesn’t really live in Maine and says Rice ‘pleaded with me’ to introduce her during her confirmation hearings as UN ambassador,” Raju posted on Twitter.
Rice’s mother is from Maine and her grandparents emigrated there from Jamaica. She maintains a home in Maine.
Erin Pelton, former communications director for the National Security Council, went Raju one further and noted that Collins had removed a pro-Rice statement from her website. Pelton shared an archived link to the statement, in which Collins noted that Rice has “deep roots in Maine.”
Collins also noted in the January 2009 statement: “The people of Maine are proud of what this remarkable woman has accomplished in her distinguished career of service to our nation, and we take special pride in her strong ties to our state.”
For her part, Rice is encouraged and says she has to do “a lot more homework” before deciding to make a run against Collins.
“I made the tweet, I later elaborated that this wasn’t where my head was,” she said at a New York event, according to Fortune. “But I have been moved by the enthusiasm. I’m going to give it due consideration after the midterms.”
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