Collins Re-Election Bid Stumbles Over 'Oath Keeper' On Campaign Staff
Members of the Oath Keepers militia in Washington, D.C. before January 6, 2021 riot
One of the most vulnerable Republicans in the current midterm cycle is seeing their reelection campaign crumble, as The Daily Beast reports that it has been beset by "one headache after another."
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, is seeking reelection this year and is considered one of the GOP incumbents most susceptible to a Democratic flip. This comes after years of the lawmaker souring her reputation with voters by claiming frequently to be "concerned" about President Donald Trump's agenda, but still voting in support of it most of the time.
In a Wednesday report, The Daily Beast detailed the ways in which Collins' campaign "can’t catch a break." Even after heavy allegations forced her previous Democratic opponent to drop out of the race, a series of mounting political headaches has left her with anything but an easy path to victory.
"Instead, it’s been one headache after another," the report detailed. "Billionaire donors with ties to Jeffrey Epstein; a campaign begging supporters for gas money to fuel her re-election tour after she voted to uphold the conflict in Iran; and Donald Trump launching a trade war with neighboring Canada."
On the heels of all that "baggage," the report further detailed the latest scandal engulfing Collins: "a former Oath Keeper" found to be on her staff.
"In June, Collins, 73, announced county commissioner Wayne Erkkinen as her town chair in Greenville, which puts him in charge of grassroots campaigns and voter outreach as Collins fights to hold on to her Senate seat at November’s midterm elections," The Daily Beast explained. "The problem? Erkkinen, 81, was previously identified by the Anti-Defamation League as a member of the Oath Keepers, the far right extremist group that played a major role in the January 6 attack at the Capitol, with some later convicted of seditious conspiracy.
It continued: "The group’s leaked membership rolls included more than 38,000 names and Erkkinen was among them. He told [The Daily Beast] he joined the group in 2010 thinking it was for law enforcement and military veterans like him, who had sworn to defend the Constitution. He also said he quit the group 'years ago'—before the storming of the Capitol—because he didn’t want to be part of something violent."
“It wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Erkkinen said.
Collins' campaign has countered the issue, arguing that it "can’t be expected to keep tabs on every grassroots volunteer on its books," while the report noted that it has given her opponents "fresh ammunition to argue that the Senator is supported by Donald Trump’s 'most extreme backers.'" It also raises further alarms about "the company [her campaign] keeps," after reports emerged that it had accepted contributions from wealthy donors connected to Epstein.
Reprinted with permission from AlterNet
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- Oath Keepers Plead Not Guilty To Sedition As Leader Remains Jailed ›
- Collin County constable outed as Oath Keepers member, disavows group ›
- Collin Co. Constable Disavows ‘Oath Keepers' After Name Appears on Leaked Member List ›
- Republican Senator Susan Collins Faces New Humiliation in Must-Win Seat ›
- Oath Keepers Indictment Shows Insurrectionists Were Expecting Armed Second Wave - YouTube ›
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