Here’s How You Can Thank Murkowski & Collins For Saving Obamacare

After seven years of trying, and despite constant promises otherwise, Republicans failed at their quest to repeal and replace Obamacare. The Senate voted down a measure, 51-49, with just three Republicans joining the Democrats to prevent a narrow majority from proceeding. There's been a lot of coverage of John McCain, who surprised everyone by becoming that final, tie-breaking vote, but the real people to thank are Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. The female Republican senators from Alaska and Maine, respectively, held fast to their convictions throughout this process, saying that they couldn't stomach the GOP's fast-tracked process or brutal coverage losses, and stood by their words to protect their constituents.

If you're one of the millions of Americans who is thankful for the actions of these two Republican ladies — protecting health care coverage for millions and protecting a legislative achievement neither of them initially voted for — it's very easy to get in touch with the senators, even if you don't live in either of their states.

If you want to email them, both senators have contact forms on their websites. Here is Murkowski's and here is Collins'.

Like all members of Congress, Collins and Murkowski have offices in Washington, D.C. where they can be reached, either by phone, fax, or direct mail. Below is the contact information for both, because already, activists are getting involved thanking them:

And in addition to their Washington, D.C. offices, both senators have numerous local offices throughout their states. Susan Collins has Maine offices in Augusta:

68 Sewall Street, Room 507, Augusta, ME 04330

Phone: (207) 622-8414

Bangor:

202 Harlow Street, Room 20100, Bangor, ME 04401

Phone: (207) 945-0417

Biddeford:

160 Main Street, Biddeford, ME 04005

Phone: (207) 283-1101

Caribou:

25 Sweden Street, Suite A, Caribou, ME 04736

Phone: (207) 493-7873

Lewiston:

55 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, ME 04240

Phone: (207) 784-6969

and Portland:

One Canal Plaza, Suite 802, Portland, ME 04101

Phone: (207) 780-3575

Lisa Murkowki's offices in Alaska can be found in Anchorage:

510 L Street, Suite 600 Anchorage, AK 99501

Phone: (907) 271-3735; Fax: (877) 857-0322

Fairbanks:

Courthouse Square, 250 Cushman Avenue, Suite 2D, Fairbanks, AK 99701

Phone: (907) 456-0233; Fax: (907) 451-7146

and Juneau:

800 Glacier Ave, Suite 101, Juneau, AK 99801

Phone: (907) 586-7277; Fax: (907) 586-7201

Throughout this whole process, direct democracy has been central. Republican senators begrudgingly admitted that the popular resistance to their bill made passing it much harder. There have been estimated over 200,000 calls made, totaling over 495 days worth of call time.

Susan Collins said that when she marched in her state's Fourth of July parade, she was inundated with constituents thanking her for being against the Republican plan. “I heard, over and over again, encouragement for my stand against the current version of the Senate and House health-care bills," Collins told The Washingon Post. "People were thanking me, over and over again. ‘Thank you, Susan!’ ‘Stay strong, Susan!’”

So if there's one lesson from this whole fight, it's that your involvement in the process, and your thanks to elected officials who do what you need them to do, matters.