ME-SEN: Susan Collins challenger open to nixing Senate filibuster
enate Democratic nominee Sara Gideon — who is running to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins in Maine — is signaling support for nixing the legislative filibuster if she wins in November.
Gideon said she would vote to eliminate the 60-vote procedural hurdle if it stood in the way of Democratic priorities, including health care legislation, according to the Bangor Daily News.
“I think what Americans need and what Mainers need more than anything is government that functions and I think that the filibuster prevents us from functioning and making progress on issues,” said Gideon, the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.
Gideon is one of several Democratic Senate candidates who have said they are open to getting rid of the filibuster by lowering it to a simple majority if Democrats win control of the Senate in November. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats will need a net win of three seats and the White House in November or a total pickup of four seats for an outright majority starting in January.
Collins voted to nix the 60-vote hurdle for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 after Justice Neil Gorsuch was unable to get enough Democratic support to overcome it. But she's defended keeping the same hurdle for legislation, including organizing a 2017 letter urging leadership to keep it intact.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/513665-susan-collins-challenger-open-to-nixing-senate-filibuster
