--- title: "Republican PAC spent $25,000 on ads in wrong state" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/republican-pac-spent-25000-on-ads-in-wrong-state" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/republican-pac-spent-25000-on-ads-in-wrong-state" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/republican-pac-spent-25000-on-ads-in-wrong-state.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/republican-pac-spent-25000-on-ads-in-wrong-state" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-12T21:45:54.911Z" source_reported: "2026-10-12T20:28:55.059Z" updated: "2026-10-12T22:30:08.970Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 57 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-12T22:45:09.766670+00:00" --- # Republican PAC spent $25,000 on ads in wrong state *A super PAC supporting Senator Susan Collins mistakenly aired attack ads in Oregon instead of Maine.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to a named body, but relies on anonymous sourcing for some details. - Craft 57 of 100, higher is better. Quotes affected parties, but lacks clear separation of fact/comment and doesn't state what happens next. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headline promises more than the body delivers, with mild sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A Republican super PAC, Defending Main Street, spent between $20,000 and $25,000 on ads intended to support Senator Susan Collins' reelection campaign in Maine. - The ads were mistakenly aired in Portland, Oregon, rather than Portland, Maine, a geographical error that rendered the spending ineffective. - The ad buyer has acknowledged the mistake and is processing a full refund for the misdirected expenditure. - This advertising mix-up has been cited as a contributing factor to Republican struggles, despite their financial advantages in the election cycle. A Republican super PAC called Defending Main Street spent between $20,000 and $25,000 on digital advertisements. These ads were intended to attack Democrat Troy Jackson, the opponent of Republican Senator Susan Collins, and were meant for airing in Maine. However, the advertisements were mistakenly broadcast in Portland, Oregon, a location nearly 3,200 miles away from the intended market. The ad buyer has admitted to the error and is issuing a full refund to the political group that purchased the advertising. This incident has been identified as one of the reasons for Republican difficulties in the current election cycle, even with a financial advantage over their opponents. ## Disagreement on spending details Reports vary on the exact amount spent. Daily Kos states the spending was between $20,000 and $25,000. NBC News reports the spending was nearly $25,000. WND and WND News Center state the PAC spent thousands of dollars. The Washington Post digest states the ad buyer admitted the mistake and refunded the money. Raw Story reports the PAC dropped tens of thousands of dollars. The Intercept states the group spent thousands attacking Troy Jackson. ## What the coverage left out None of the left, centre, or right-rated reports mentioned the specific number of times the ads were aired, a detail provided by Daily Kos. ## Who covered it Shares of the 24 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (16) - Centre: 12% (3) - Right: 21% (5) 1 of 25 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-12T22:45:09.766670+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-12T23:30:08.662Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports focused on the error of the Republican super PAC, Defending Main Street, airing ads in the wrong state. They highlighted the amount spent, between $20,000 and $25,000, and the geographical mistake of airing ads in Portland, Oregon, instead of Portland, Maine. Several reports noted the PAC was supporting Senator Susan Collins and attacking her opponent, Troy Jackson. Some outlets, like Daily Kos, used the incident to discuss broader Republican financial advantages and messaging issues in the election cycle, quoting strategist Scott Jennings and referencing data from AdImpact and Politico surveys. Raw Story described the mix-up as 'hilarious' and 'embarrassing'. ### Centre - Centre-rated reports focused on the mix-up involving the Republican super PAC and the ads intended for Senator Susan Collins' campaign. Newsweek's full report, however, focused on comparing Senator Collins' current polling numbers to her 2020 victory, discussing national headwinds for the Republican Party and her ability to separate herself from the national ticket. The digest from NBC Chicago, like other NBC affiliates, used the headline 'GOP buyer's blunder sends Susan Collins ad money to wrong Portland'. ### Right - Right-rated reports highlighted the mistake made by the Republican super PAC, Defending Main Street, in airing ads in Portland, Oregon, instead of Portland, Maine. Washington Examiner and WND both noted the PAC was affiliated with Senator Susan Collins and was attacking her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson. WND and WND News Center used the phrase 'It's pretty hilarious' to describe the situation. These reports confirmed the PAC was seeking a full refund due to the vendor's error. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 2 - mixed: 3 - high: 10 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 8 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [washingtonsun.com](https://washingtonsun.com/campaigns/susan-collins-republican-aligned-super-pac-vendor-ad-buy-wrong-portland-oregon-maine) — Republican-Aligned Super PAC Buys Ads in the Wrong Portland - [capitalisminstitute.org](https://capitalisminstitute.org/gop-ad-buyer-confuses-portlands-spends-nearly-25k-meant-for-susan-collins-in-oregon) — GOP Super PAC Wastes $25K on Wrong Portland for Collins - [ghanamma.com](https://ghanamma.com/2026/10/12/pro-collins-ads-target-wrong-portland-in-gop-super-pac-mix-up) — Pro-Collins ads target wrong Portland in GOP super PAC mix-up - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6143888-susan-collins-maine-ads-oregon) — Pro-Collins ads target wrong Portland in GOP super PAC mix-up - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/12/voters-portland-oregon-get-ads-meant-portland-maine) — Voters in Portland (Oregon) get ads meant for Portland (Maine) - [Daily Kos](https://dailykos.com/stories/2026/10/12/800111313/elections/whoops-gop-blows-money-airing-attack-ads-in-the-wrong-state) — Whoops! GOP blows money airing attack ads in the wrong state. - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/10/oops-gop-runs-pro-collins-ads-in-wrong-portland) — OOPS: GOP Runs Pro-Collins Ads In Wrong Portland - [Bangor Daily News](https://bangordailynews.com/2026/10/12/politics/elections/pro-susan-collins-pac-accidentally-buys-ads-portland-oregon) — Pro-Susan Collins ads accidentally run in Portland, Oregon - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/cfe5a44305f7773b) — Pro-Susan Collins Group Spends $25,000 in the Wrong Portland - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4763316/susan-collins-pac-spends-thousands-troy-jackson-wrong-portland) — Pro-Susan Collins PAC runs ads in Portland, Oregon, not Portland, Maine - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/susan-collins-2678074777) — ‘Hilarious’: Susan Collins allies burn up to $25K attacking her rival in the wrong state - [NBC News](https://nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/gop-ad-buyer-mixes-portlands-spends-money-meant-help-maine-sen-susan-c-rcna603005) — GOP ad buyer mixes up Portlands, spends money meant to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins in Oregon - [WND](https://wnd.com/2026/10/its-pretty-hilarious-republican-super-pac-spends-thousands) — ‘It’s pretty hilarious’: Republican super PAC spends thousands on ads … in the WRONG Portland! * WorldNetDaily * by Ron Strom - [wndnewscenter.org](https://wndnewscenter.org/its-pretty-hilarious-republican-super-pac-spends-thousands-on-ads-in-the-wrong-portland) — ‘It’s pretty hilarious’: Republican super PAC spends thousands on ads … in the WRONG Portland! * WND News Center - [Mediaite](https://mediaite.com/media/news/gop-group-drops-25k-on-ads-for-maine-sen-susan-collins-in-portland-oregon) — GOP Group Drops $25K On Ads for Maine Sen. Susan Collins in Portland… Oregon - [The Intercept](https://theintercept.com/2026/10/12/susan-collins-super-pac-portland-oregon-ads) — Susan Collins-Aligned Super PAC Buys Attack Ads in Portland... Oregon - [NBC Boston](https://nbcboston.com/news/local/gop-buyers-blunder-sends-susan-collins-ad-money-to-wrong-portland/4029775) — GOP buyer's blunder sends Susan Collins ad money to wrong Portland - [NBC New York](https://nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/gop-buyers-blunder-sends-susan-collins-ad-money-to-wrong-portland/6558421) — GOP buyer's blunder sends Susan Collins ad money to wrong Portland - [NBC Chicago](https://nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/gop-buyers-blunder-sends-susan-collins-ad-money-to-wrong-portland/4001393) — GOP buyer's blunder sends Susan Collins ad money to wrong Portland - [NBC Dallas-Fort Worth](https://nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/gop-buyers-blunder-sends-susan-collins-ad-money-to-wrong-portland/4089980) — GOP buyer's blunder sends Susan Collins ad money to wrong Portland - [The New Republic](https://newrepublic.com/post/216529/republican-group-spends-thousands-susan-collins-portland-oregon) — GOP Group Spends Thousands to Help Susan Collins—in Wrong Portland - [NBC LA](https://nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/gop-buyers-blunder-sends-susan-collins-ad-money-to-wrong-portland/3954903) — GOP buyer's blunder sends Susan Collins ad money to wrong Portland - [NBC Bay Area](https://nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/gop-buyers-blunder-sends-susan-collins-ad-money-to-wrong-portland/4156850) — GOP buyer's blunder sends Susan Collins ad money to wrong Portland - [Real Clear Politics](https://realclearpolitics.com/2026/10/12/maine_democrats_worry_susan_collins_is_teflon_713946.html) — Maine Democrats Worry Susan Collins Is 'Teflon' - [Salon](https://salon.com/2026/10/12/as-susan-collins-goes-for-a-sixth-term-maine-democrats-worry-shes-a-teflon-candidate-partner) — As Susan Collins goes for a sixth term, Maine Democrats worry she’s a ‘Teflon candidate’ - [Newsweek](https://newsweek.com/susan-collins-maine-senate-polls-2020-comparison-12534004) — Susan Collins’ 2026 Polls Compared With Her 2020 Maine Victory - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/ececc720a4146de3) — Susan Collins Is in Stronger Shape Than Before Her Surprise 2020 Victory - [SecretNews](https://secretnews.fr/desole-je-ne-peux-pas-traduire-exactement-ce-titre-a-partir-dune-source-en-ligne-voici-des-propositions-de-titres-seo-en-francais-sur-le-meme-sujet-sondages-de-la-course-au-senat-du-ma) — Sorry, I Can't Translate Exactly This Title From an Online Source. Here Are some Proposals for SEO Titles in French on the Same Subject: – Polls of the Race in the Senate of Maine: Obama Gives a Late Boost to Jackson – Maine Senate: What the Polls Show and the Late Help of Obama in Jackson – Race in the Senate of Maine: Obama Brings a Late Boost to Jackson – Maine Senate Polls: the Obama Effect on Jackson at the End of the Campaign – Race in the Senate of Maine: the Latest Polls and the Late Support of Obama in Jackson ## Questions **What was the mistake made by the Republican super PAC?** The Republican super PAC, Defending Main Street, mistakenly aired advertisements intended for Maine in Portland, Oregon. The ads were meant to support Senator Susan Collins' reelection campaign and attack her opponent, Troy Jackson. **How much money was spent on the misplaced ads?** Reports indicate that the super PAC spent between $20,000 and $25,000 on the advertisements. Some reports state the PAC spent thousands of dollars, while others specify nearly $25,000. **What is the outcome of the advertising error?** The ad buyer has admitted the mistake and is issuing a full refund to the political group. This incident has been cited as a contributing factor to Republican struggles despite their financial advantages in the election cycle. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/republican-pac-spent-25000-on-ads-in-wrong-state. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Republican PAC spent $25,000 on ads in wrong state", https://mediabias.news/politics/republican-pac-spent-25000-on-ads-in-wrong-state