A Republican political group trying to boost Maine Sen. Susan Collins managed to spend nearly $25,000 advertising her campaign in Portland.
Unfortunately, the Portland in question was on the opposite side of the country.
Between $20,000 and $25,000 was reportedly spent serving digital advertisements to voters around Portland, Oregon, rather than Portland, Maine.
The Oregon advertising market even extends across the state line into Washington.
The ads were purchased on behalf of the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC and targeted Collins’s Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, portraying him as a “tax-hiker.”
Once somebody apparently consulted a map, the ads were pulled.
Sarah Chamberlain, CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC, was less than amused by the costly geographical mishap.
She told NBC News she was “absolutely furious” about the “ridiculous” mistake.
“The buyers made a mistake on one of the placements. It’s down now, and they’re running it in Portland, Maine,” Chamberlain said.
“It has nothing to do with us. I would never run an ad in Portland, Oregon, for Susan Collins, for Christ’s sake.”
The ad buyer for Susan Collins’ Super PAC accidentally spent the money buying ad time in Portland, Oregon, instead of Portland, Maine. Classic guffemup. https://t.co/ZMJEfU82Di
— Ali Ahmadi (@AliR_Ahmadi) October 12, 2026
Cross Screen Media, the company responsible for placing the advertisements, accepted responsibility.
A company spokesperson acknowledged that it was “100% our mistake” and said the money had been refunded to the PAC.
The anti-Jackson advertisements are finally running in the right Portland.
The embarrassing error comes as Collins campaigns for another term that could determine the balance of power in the Senate.
Maine Democrats selected Jackson as their Senate nominee in July after Graham Platner’s campaign was derailed by allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
The 73-year-old has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997 and is seeking a sixth term.
After comfortably outperforming the polls to win reelection in 2020, the latest RealClearPolling average has Collins up by just 0.2 points, a statistical tie.
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However, she has historically outperformed polls by significant margins, potentially improving her chances of re-election.
CNN: Susan Collins has outperformed the polls by huge margins for 3 straight elections
Polls Underestimated Susan Collins By:
2008: 🔴 8 Points
2014: 🔴 8 Points
2020: 🔴 12 Points pic.twitter.com/JmoKnx4nYZ— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) October 12, 2026
