In most cases, confusing Portland, Maine, with Portland, Oregon, might be seen as an innocent faux pas. But in the case of political actors ahead of an election, it can be a costly—and frankly comedic—blunder.
A recent attack ad targeting Troy Jackson—the Democratic candidate in the Maine Senate race who is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins—has appeared in front of users far from Maine, leading many to believe its placement was a mistake.
Funded by the Defending Main Street super PAC, the 30-second ad titled “Too Many Taxes” focuses on taxes and the cost-of-living crisis, which both Collins and Jackson have made central to their campaigns in the lead-up to the election in November.
But despite the ad reportedly costing Defending Main Street around $25,000, the message might not be effective. Shown for the first time on October 8, it has racked up over 1.2 million views—but to viewers in Oregon, not Maine.
“I’ve gotten 5 anti-Troy Jackson ads in the last 24 hours. I choose to believe they mixed up Portlands,” one user, whose location is set to Oregon, said on X.
Many others with an Oregon location chimed in to share their similar experiences, with one saying: “I’ve gotten them too. lol.” Another added: “I’ve gotten so many this week.”
Some social media users shared screenshots of the ad’s Google Ads Transparency Center page—a public repository of ads served on Google—which showed the selected region for the ads as zip codes from Oregon.
The Google Ads page has since been updated with Maine zip codes.
The Intercept reported on the mix-up earlier.
“So out of touch”
The apparent error is not the first Republican mix-up this election cycle. In September, Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri tried to catch former special counsel Jack Smith in a gotcha moment during a Senate hearing—only to confuse two basketball teams (the Hawks and Hawkeyes), collapsing his line of questioning and sparking widespread mockery online.
While Collins’s campaign and Defending Main Street have yet to speak out on the mishap—or respond to a request for comment—Jackson’s campaign has already noticed the situation.
“Susan Collins’ allies are so out of touch with Maine, they can’t even find it on a map,” Dan Gottlieb, spokesperson for Jackson’s campaign, tells Fast Company. “Good luck convincing Mainers you know what’s best for them when you don’t know which Portland they live in.”