A Republican super PAC aiming to influence the closely watched U.S. Senate race in Maine mistakenly aired an attack ad targeting Democratic nominee Troy Jackson in Portland, Oregon, rather than Portland, Maine. The ad ran on YouTube from Thursday through Sunday, reaching over one million viewers in Oregon and more than 300,000 in Washington State, according to Google advertising data.

The super PAC, Defending Main Street, spent approximately $25,900 on the misdirected advertisements. Sarah Chamberlain, the group’s chief financial officer, attributed the error to its ad-buying vendor, Cross Screen Media, which is owned by 1903 Group. Chamberlain stated the vendor was responsible for the mistake, which resulted in the ad being shown in the wrong geographic market. She said the vendor had refunded the funds to the super PAC and removed the ads, subsequently launching a corrected campaign targeting Jackson’s actual constituency in Maine.

Cross Screen Media acknowledged the blunder and confirmed the refund to Defending Main Street. The super PAC, affiliated with the Republican Main Street Partnership, has backed moderate Republicans such as Senator Susan Collins, who is seeking a sixth term in the Maine Senate race. While the ad itself does not mention Collins by name, it criticizes Jackson for supporting tax increases, a theme frequently used by Collins’s campaign. The narration asserts that “taxin’ Troy Jackson” has made it difficult for people to make a living.

Jackson has responded by clarifying that he supports tax hikes only on wealthy individuals and large corporations, disputing the ad’s broader claim. His campaign spokesperson, Dan Gottlieb, seized on the advertising mix-up, suggesting it reflected a lack of connection to Maine on the part of Collins’s allies.

Social media users in Oregon reacted with confusion and amusement over the appearance of Maine-focused political ads in their feed, highlighting the geographic confusion between Portland, Oregon, and Portland, Maine. Google later rectified the ad’s targeting to show only Maine ZIP codes.

While some political campaigns deploy ads nationally to build general awareness, the Defending Main Street ad was an unintentional error. For comparison, the super PAC has invested nearly $947,000 in television and streaming advertisements opposing Jackson in Maine, far exceeding the amount lost on the Oregon misfire.

Neither the Collins campaign nor Jackson’s team from the other side responded immediately to requests for comment on the situation. The incident underscores challenges in digital political advertising and the importance of careful geographic targeting, especially in states with cities sharing names with others across the country.