Politics
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More than 9 of every 10 dollars spent on TV ads in Maine’s U.S. Senate race went to negative ads on Saturday, marking the most hostile point yet in the contest between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson.
Negative spots made up 88% of broadcast spending in the seven days ending Sunday, according to a Bangor Daily News analysis of AdImpact data. In early August just after Jackson took over the nomination from Graham Platner, the share was below two-thirds.
The newest wave of ads just over two weeks from Election Day picks up the fights between the candidates during their four debates. Medicaid, heating costs from the war with Iran, Maine’s electric rates and questions of character all came up in the debate and are now on the air.
Republicans opened the weekend with the harshest of the new ones. The Senate Leadership Fund’s “Crook and a Creep” nods to the conservative Washington Free Beacon’s recent report on cell phone towers Jackson promoted were built on his family’s land. An offshoot launched a spot of its own — just “A Creep” — attacking his personal conduct.
Both groups are part of a web of Republican super PACs and nonprofits that has booked about $126 million in ads to reelect Collins, much of it from donors who will never be named. Republicans went negative first, trying to define Jackson within days of his July nomination.
A bigger shift has come on the Democratic side. Jackson and his allies spent about half their broadcast money on negative ads in early August while introducing him to voters. Now they spend more than 80%.
A new Democratic ad, WinSenate’s “Sides With Trump,” says Collins cast the deciding vote for Trump’s Medicaid cuts. Collins voted against the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act but cast a procedural vote to advance it. Vice President JD Vance stood ready to break a tie. Collins rejected the charge, which is often repeated by Jackson, at Thursday’s debate.
“The other thing that he has said that is just plain wrong is that I somehow am responsible for the Medicaid cuts in the big beautiful bill,” Collins said.
Democrats are also hitting her over the war with Iran. WinSenate’s “More Expensive” says Collins repeatedly backed the war and is driving up costs. A different Jackson ad puts him on camera blaming her for heating oil topping $6 a gallon. In debates, Collins noted she had voted against the president on the war nine times. Jackson called those votes meaningless.
He used the same argument to answer Collins’ attack on electric rates, which Pine Tree Results PAC is pressing in a new spot blaming “Taxin’ Troy” for Maine’s power bills. Collins said at the debate that rates rose sharply while Jackson led the Maine Senate. Democrats passed costly solar subsidies during his time in office, but they have been scaled back and are a partial cause.
“Sen. Collins wants to talk about electric rates going up 40% when heating oil costs have gone up 80% just in the last year because she won’t keep Donald Trump in check in Iran,” Jackson said.
Collins’ campaign has added two ads of its own since the debate. One features a speaker from Jackson’s hometown of Allagash criticizing his legislative travel reimbursements. In the other, Collins herself attacks Jackson over a law on where transgender inmates serve time.
For all the money, the polls have barely moved. Jackson held a narrow lead in August, as the ads turned negative, and he holds one now. Decision Desk HQ’s forecast gives Jackson a 54% chance of winning to 46% for Collins and rates the race a toss-up.
Those odds have held steady for the past week, as the ads hit their most negative point.