A Republican group supporting Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, accidentally ran ads targeting her Democratic Senate opponent Troy Jackson in Portland, Oregon – not Portland, Maine.
The media vendor for Defending Main Street, a Republican Super PAC, spent about $25,000 on digital advertising in the wrong state, a spokesperson from Defending Main Street confirmed.
“The error was identified, the ads were immediately stopped and corrected, and the vendor is refunding Defending Main Street the full amount of the misplaced spend,” the spokesperson continued. “No donor funds will be lost as a result of the vendor’s error.”
Cross Screen Media, the ad buyer that reportedly made the mistake, took "100%" responsibility, according to the 1903 Group, who handled
the ad buying. They confirmed that they stopped the wrong campaign, got the ads up to the right area and refunded the spend.
The race between Collins and Jackson is one of the most competitive in the country. Collins is the only Republican senator to represent a state won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, and Democrats see defeating her as crucial to flipping Congress, which is currently narrowly controlled by Republicans, 53-47.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which Portland? GOP ad buyer chooses wrong state for Senate campaign
