An Ad Targeting Susan Collins’s Opponent, Troy Jackson, Airs in the Wrong Portland
Jackson was the target of a Republican super PAC ad that mistakenly ran outside Maine.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe New York Times is an established national newsroom with substantial original reporting and identifiable bylines. This article attributes claims to named sources and data, and identifies a source it could not reach for comment.
- Track record — Established national newspaper with a long record of original reporting.
- Editorial standards — A professional newsroom with formal editorial processes.
- Author attribution — The article names its reporter.
- Source type — National news outlet.
The report cites Google advertising data, an FEC filing, and comments from the PAC and its vendor. It includes Jackson’s campaign response and notes that Collins’s campaign did not respond, though it offers limited broader context about the ad’s claims.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article reports the PAC’s explanation, confirmation from the vendor, the ad’s message, and Jackson’s response. Collins’s campaign did not comment, leaving that perspective absent.
- Source diversity — Uses statements from both the PAC and its vendor, as well as Jackson’s campaign.
- Counterarguments presented — Includes Jackson’s position on taxes and notes that Collins’s campaign did not respond.
- Loaded language — The report itself uses restrained language; the sharper wording is attributed to a campaign spokesman.
The article reports the misdirected ad and attributes the competing claims to the people making them. Its wording and presentation show no discernible political lean.
- Language tone — Mostly factual and non-evaluative language.
- Source selection — Includes comments from the PAC, its vendor, and Jackson’s campaign, and notes Collins’s campaign did not respond.
- Framing — Frames the story around an ad-placement mistake rather than endorsing a campaign’s claims.
A Republican super PAC’s ad attacking Troy Jackson ran in Oregon and Washington instead of Maine, reaching more than a million viewers in Oregon. The PAC blamed its ad-buying vendor, which confirmed the mistake, as Jackson challenges Senator Susan Collins.
A Republican super PAC’s ad targeting Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson ran in Oregon and Washington from Thursday to Sunday. Google advertising data showed it reached more than a million viewers in Oregon and more than 300,000 in Washington State. The PAC’s chief financial officer blamed the error on its ad-buying vendor, which confirmed the mistake; the PAC said the vendor refunded the money and that donors would not lose funds.
The ad claims Jackson supports raising taxes, echoing a line Collins has repeatedly used in her re-election campaign. Jackson says he supports tax increases only on wealthy individuals and large corporations. A Jackson campaign spokesman mocked the ad’s appearance in Oregon, while Collins’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Community verdict
VOTING CLOSED
No good or bad look here
This story reports what happened without casting Jackson in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Jackson’s record.
People in this story
SWIPE →Democratic Senate candidate in Maine targeted by the misdirected ad
Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, mentioned for comparison
Maine senator and Jackson’s opponent in the Senate race
Part of a bigger story
6 OUTLETSA Republican-aligned super PAC’s ads targeting Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson mistakenly ran in Portland, Oregon, rather than Portland, Maine. Left-leaning outlets treat the wrong-city placement as a comic mix-up and foreground a Jackson supporter’s reaction. Center outlets give a more matter-of-fact account, including the PAC’s refund or vendor-error explanation and the broader Senate-race context.
- ARTICLES
- 6
- OUTLETS
- 6
- AVG CRED
- 74
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