The Washington Times had the story that we all knew was coming after Maine Senator Susan Collins chose to side with sanity and stand up to the character assassins on the left by voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court: 

Liberal groups vowed Friday to try to unseat Sen. Susan Collins in 2020 over the Maine Republican’s decision to support Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, paving the way for a final confirmation vote…

Democracy for America said that they plan to pick off where they left off in 2014 when they targeted Mrs. Collins.

“We’re committing, right now, to working with anyone we can to finish the job in #2020,” DFA said on Twitter. “Mainers deserve better.”

From one perspective, this makes total sense.  Collins is a Republican in a left-leaning state and so should be a softer target for defeat.  But from another perspective, Collins is hardly a thorn in liberals’ sides in D.C.  She has been the Republican that has been most reliable for the Democrats to flip over the years.

Dropping huge amounts of capital into defeating her would be the equivalent of Republicans pouring the largest amounts of their time and resources into defeating Joe Manchin in West Virginia.  Sure you’d like to have another seat for your party, but is there any kind of Republican better for Democrats than a Susan Collins Republican?

She called on Republican leadership to give Obama’s appointee Merrick Garland a hearing.  She met privately with Garland.  Collins is largely the reason that ObamaCare still exists.  Which is tremendously ironic given who was most vocal in pushing for her ouster:

Shortly afterward (Collins’s speech to support Kavanaugh), Jen Psaki, former Obama administration spokesperson, asked the Twitterverse: “Who wants to run for Senate in Maine? there will be an army of supporters with you.” 

Mrs. (Susan) Rice (former Obama national security adviser) responded, “Me.” 

Chances are that passions will have cooled somewhat by 2020 and we’ll have cycled through about 59 other existential crises by then.  But at least for now, Collins – not the 49 other folks in the Senate who voted to confirm Kavanaugh – is public enemy number one for the left. 

I’m sure this knowledge will provide plenty of motivation for Collins between now and her reelection bid in 2020.  And I can’t say I think it’s the kind of motivation that pushes her leftward.  If nothing else, I think it’s fair to say this could really backfire on the left.