Super PAC ads targeting Maine's Democratic Senate nominee ran in Oregon's Portland, not Maine's

Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term in her close race with Democrat Troy Jackson. Democrats have set their sights on winning the seat in their bid to retake control of the Senate.

Published: October 12, 2026 6:49pm

Updated: October 12, 2026 6:52pm

Political ads paid for a super PAC targeting Maine's Democratic Senate nominee in his bid to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collin mistakenly ran in Oregon, not Maine.  

The Republican super PAC Defending Main Street ran the digital ads, which assail Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, according to The New York Times.

The ads targeted the market for Oregon's city of Portland, not Maine's Portland. However, they also reportedly reached over 300,000 viewers in the neighboring state of Washington, in addition to reaching over a million viewers in Oregon. 

The super PAC’s chief financial officer, Sarah Chamberlain, said the mix-up on the ads, which appeared on YouTube and cost $25,900, was on the ad-buying vendor, Cross Screen Media. She also said the vendor began a new campaign targeting Jackson in Maine, the newspaper also reports.

Collins is seeking a sixth term in her close race with Jackson. Democrats have set their sights on winning the seat in their bid to retake control of the Senate. 

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