The Lincoln Project, a super PAC led by current and former anti-Trump Republicans, is turning its attention to the U.S. Senate race in Maine between Senator Susan Collins and her Democratic rival, the Speaker of the House of Representatives from Maine, Sara Gideon, with an expensive advertising campaign.
In the ad, released online and on television Wednesday morning, the group targets Collins as a “fraud” controlled by President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and criticizes her for failing to comply. the Maine tradition of submitting independent ideas. lawmakers to Washington.
Susan Collins never confronts Donald Trump. That is why Maine ended its weaknesses and excuses, ”says a narrator in the ad, who does not mention her opponent.
The group, which was founded by several anti-Trump conservatives, including former New Hampshire Republican Party President Jennifer Horn and George Conway, husband of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, is spending $ 1 million on the ad campaign for Collins, according to the Portland Press Herald.
“The Lincoln Project joins at least 13 other billionaire-funded Democratic groups that have tried to come to Maine and buy this race in the Senate with false advertising. Mainers know Senator Collins, and they’ve proven time and time again that this type of DC-style poisonous scorched earth policy doesn’t work in our state, “said Riley Ploch, a Collins campaign spokesperson, in a statement to the Globe on Wednesday. “This announcement is a perfect example of how Sara Gideon is running her campaign: dodging debates, hiding in Chuck Schumer’s windowless basement and allowing billionaire Democratic donors to post attack ads on her account.”
Although known for its scathing anti-Trump videos, the Lincoln Project also targets a handful of vulnerable Republican senators for reelection in 2020. In April, it released a video that promises to help Collins, Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, Senator Martha McSally of Arizona, and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina “on the road to forced retirement.”
The super PAC also released announcements Wednesday that increased Democrat Al Gross’s bid to topple Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan and Democratic Governor Steve Bullock’s campaign against Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines. He’s spending $ 4 million total on the campaigns, according to Axios.
Buying ads in Maine marks the latest cash infusion in what is already the most expensive campaign in state history. In addition to the millions raised by Collins and Gideon, outside groups are spending a lot on the run. According to Bangor Daily News, these groups have spent more than $ 16 million so far, primarily on television commercials.
Collins’ seat in Maine is one of several Democrats are looking at in November as they seek to turn the Republican-controlled Senate around, and a recent poll in Maine shows a tight race. The poll, released by Colby College on Tuesday, found Gideon leading Collins by five percentage points, 44 percent to 39 percent. The survey also found that only 15 percent of respondents said they thought Collins “was not tied to either party and is independently minded.” It has a 3.9 percent margin of error.
You can contact Christina Prignano at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @cprignano.
