Republican Super PAC Airs Maine Attack Ads in Oregon
Defending Main Street SuperPAC Inc. mistakenly spent $25,000 on digital attack ads in Portland, Oregon, instead of Portland, Maine, during a competitive Senate race.
The Defending Main Street SuperPAC Inc. mistakenly spent approximately $25,000 on digital attack ads targeting Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson in Portland, Oregon, rather than Portland, Maine. Between October 8 and October 11, the advertisements, which claimed Maine cannot afford Jackson and his taxes, were served more than 1.25 million times to audiences in Oregon and Washington.
The error was first identified by a social media user in Oregon. The PAC's media vendor, Cross Screen Media, attributed the incident to a placement mistake and issued a full refund to the group. Sarah Chamberlain, CEO of the affiliated Republican Main Street Partnership, expressed fury over the error, stating the buyers made a mistake on one of the placements.
Supporters of Troy Jackson used the blunder to criticize incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. Political operative Andy O’Brien and spokesperson Dan Gottlieb characterized the mistake as evidence that Collins and her donors are out of touch with Maine. The incident occurred during a high-profile 2026 midterm Senate race viewed as a key toss-up seat that could influence control of the U.S. Senate.
