Susan Collins Dragged After GOP PAC Boosts Her Campaign In The Wrong Portland

On July 4, 1786, the city of Portland, Maine, was officially founded with its newly-minted name. Almost 60 years later in 1845, Maineiac Francis Pettygrove won a coin toss against Asa Lovejoy and named their soon-to-be incorporated city in Oregon Portland after the largest city in his home state of Maine.

Since then, Portland, Oregon, has swelled to a city of approximately 675,000 people while its namesake boasts a population of just 70,000. In 2026, when people hear Portland, they think of Oregon instead of the original city in Maine.

Back in 1845, Lovejoy wanted to name the Oregon city Boston, which would have made things easier for an out-of-state PAC (political action committee) buying airtime for ads to support the reelection of Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins. Instead of Maineiacs seeing ads attacking Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson, people in Portland, Oregon, were baffled about why Collins' camp was trying get their support.

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For four days, a Republican super PAC ran its latest $25,000 attack ad against former Maine state Senate President Troy Jackson on the Oregon airwaves before anyone at the PAC caught the mistake. According to AdImpact, the attack ad got over 1.5 million views on the west coast on just Monday morning alone.

The Defending Main Street super PAC launched the ad last week as part of a GOP push to attack Jackson’s record in the Maine legislature to distract from Collins' own record during her over 29 years in the United States Senate. While her campaign didn't create the ad or buy the left coast Portland airtime, Collins is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, the conservative nonprofit parent organization of the super PAC that ran the ad.

The Democratic Party in Maine appreciated the gift handed to them by Collins' out-of-state backers, as part of Maineiacs' complaints about Collins is that her years in Washington have left her out of touch with her constituents and more beholden to her billionaire donors than the people in her home state.

Misha Linnehan, spokesperson for the Maine Democratic Party, stated of the mistake:

"Susan Collins’ biggest supporters are out-of-state billionaires who can’t find Portland, Maine on a map, let alone understand what every day Mainers are going through. We deserve a Senator who is accountable to the people of Maine, not one in thrall to Trump’s billionaire cronies who think this election is happening in Oregon."

Jackson responded as well, posting on Threads:

"Susan Collins’ allies ran ads against me in Portland, Oregon."

"Should’ve asked Navatek. They knew exactly where to send the money."

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Navatek is the defense contractor behind an FBI investigation—that the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump shut down—into donations Collins accepted before contracts were awarded to the donor in an alleged pay-for-play scheme.

People soundly mocked the Collins' camp's gaffe.

@dsteiger1/Threads

In a statement to MS NOW, Defending Main Street PAC confirmed the mistake, but instead of taking any responsibility, the PAC blamed the ad running 2,543 miles away from its intended audience on a vendor.

The GOP shirking accountability? What a shock.