A new political action committee largely bankrolled by liberal dark money groups is beginning to air television ads supporting Troy Jackson’s candidacy to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
New filings with the Federal Elections Commission show that the Government That Works PAC is spending $1.3 million on ads supporting Jackson. Those purchases come as the former Maine Senate president is scrambling to assemble his campaign after the Maine Democratic Party nominated him in late July to replace Graham Platner on the November ballot.
Jackson’s nomination has already touched off a wave of attack ads by groups backing Collins in a race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate next year. So far, Republican groups, including several funded by nonprofit organizations that don’t have to disclose donors, have had a nearly 3-to-1 advantage in spending on the race, according to data compiled by AdImpact through late July.
New investments by the Government that Works PAC could signal greater involvement in the contest by a liberal network with opaque funding sources.
FEC filings show that the Government That Works PAC was created one year ago. While its designation as a PAC requires it to disclose donors, its biggest funders are nonprofits that aren’t required to do the same. Its lead funder is Responsive Government Action, an Illinois nonprofit that can shield its donors.
Tax filings show that Responsive Government Action’s revenues jumped from $975,000 in 2023 to more than $12 million in 2024. A separate tax filing shows that more than half of that revenue came from a $7.7 million grant from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal dark money behemoth that has funded an array of organizations that have attempted to influence congressional elections for nearly a decade. The Sixteen Thirty Fund was a key funding conduit for several groups active in the 2020 Maine U.S. Senate race between Collins and Democratic challenger Sara Gideon.
The Government That Works PAC has already been involved in other congressional contests this year. Not all of its spending has been in direct support of candidates, but rather donations to other Democratic committees that handle the ad buys and electioneering. Earlier this year, the PAC donated $3.7 million to the Lone Star Rising PAC that’s supporting Texas Democrat James Talarico’s candidacy against Republican Ken Paxton.
The new ad spending by Government That Works illustrates how PACs, including those with ties to party committees, are increasingly using dark money nonprofits as funding sources. Dark money spending on elections climbed to $1.9 billion last year, according to a Brennan Center for Justice analysis.
It also highlights how such nonprofits use varying methods of voter persuasion. One Nation, a nonprofit group connected to the Republican Senate Leadership Fund, is among the most prolific spenders on the Maine Senate race. It has boosted the fund’s direct electioneering efforts while also running a series of “issue advocacy” spots and text messages highlighting Collins’ work in the U.S. Senate.
The Government That Works ad supporting Jackson highlights his labor activism and attempts to draw a contrast with Collins. It uses an excerpt of a Jackson speech claiming that the Republican has served President Donald Trump and billionaires.
The ad comes as Jackson races to fund his campaign with less than 100 days before the election. The Democrat recently released his first TV spot highlighting his advocacy for Maine loggers during a 1998 labor dispute at the Canadian border. According to AdImpact, Jackson’s total buy was $232,000 — less than a quarter of the ad buy by the Government That Works PAC.
Help from Democratic super PACs may be welcome by Jackson’s nascent campaign, but those efforts may do little to level the paid-persuasion playing field. Republican PACs have had a significant spending advantage in the race and Collins is reportedly set to get another boost from the world’s richest person, Elon Musk. A recent report in The New York Times said Musk’s America PAC is set to spend up to $120 million on a handful of battleground Senate races, including in Maine.
Collins is already getting support from a PAC funded by well-heeled donors. The Pine Tree Results PAC, funded by an array of billionaires and corporate leaders, has spent $11.5 million on her behalf since January, according to data from AdImpact.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.