A Republican super PAC supporting Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has mistakenly aired a tax attack advertisement in the Portland, Oregon market instead of Portland, Maine, sparking confusion and criticism among residents.
The error occurred when the vendor for Republican Main Street Partnership (RMSP), affiliated with the GOP super PAC Defending Main Street, placed approximately $25,000 worth of digital advertising in Oregon rather than Maine. The ad, titled “So Many Taxes,” criticizes Troy Jackson’s stance on tax increases—a recurring theme in Collins’ re-election campaign.
According to Google Ads Transparency Center data, the advertisement ran for four days and reached over one million viewers across all demographics in Oregon before being removed. The mix-up was first reported by a Portland, Oregon resident who noted seeing five anti-Troy Jackson advertisements within 24 hours on social media.
Sarah Chamberlain, president and CEO of RMSP, condemned the vendor Cross Screen Media for its “ridiculous” error, stating: “Defending Main Street had nothing to do with this.” She also added that the vendor’s parent company was responsible for the mistake.
The ad features a narrator saying: “It’s tough to make a living when you pay so much in taxes. And taxin’ Troy Jackson made it that way.”
Troy Jackson, who has countered that he supports tax increases only on wealthy individuals and large corporations, did not comment directly on the error. Dan Gottlieb, a spokesman for Jackson’s campaign, seized on the incident, stating that Collins “and her allies are so out of touch with Maine, they apparently can’t find it on a map.”
RMSP confirmed that the vendor has refunded the full $25,000 spent in Oregon. The Google listing for the ad was later corrected to show ZIP codes in Maine.
Collins’ campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
