Senate hopeful Troy Jackson significantly outraised his Republican incumbent Susan Collins over the past few months, according to a new financial filing that underscores the breakneck pace his campaign has set since the Democrat entered the race in late July. According to figures released by Jackson’s campaign on Thursday, Jackson raised $20.4 million during his first three months in the race, four times the amount Collins raised over the same period. In a press release, his team said the figures underscored “the grassroots energy behind his campaign to put working people first in Washington.” Jackson outspent Collins $16.5 million to $10.9 million during the quarter, which his campaign ended with slightly less cash on hand.
I owe the people of Maine everything,” Jackson said in a press release shared with Newsweek. Newsweek has contacted Collins’ representatives for comment. Jackson’s financial disclosures had become a key point of discussion in the campaign in recent days.
Given his late entry in July following the departure of Graham Platner from the race, Jackson had not had to provide a quarterly report until this week—something Collins said left the electorate with a concerning lack of knowledge about his campaign’s fundraising and spending practices. In Thursday’s press release, Jackson said that the third-quarter funds were made up of 350,000 donations from 200,000 individual donors, 95 percent of which were less than $100. According to the Bangor Daily News, citing the campaign's filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Jackson’s campaign spent $16.5 million during the quarter, ending it with $4 million on hand and around $1 million in debt.
Collins, meanwhile, raised $5.2 million, spent $10.9 million and finished September debt-free and with $5.4 million. However, the wider Republican apparatus retains a significant spending advantage in Maine and in many other Senate races. According to figures from the tracking firm AdImpact shared with Newsweek this week, of the $259 million spent on ads in Maine, $149 million (58 percent) has been pro-Republican compared with $109 million (42 percent) for Democrats.
On a per-voter basis, this makes Maine the most expensive race of this year’s midterms, with $221.55 spent on ads for each voting age adult. Jackson has maintained a slight edge in most major polls, with Collins ahead in just two since he joined the race in July. The latest survey from InsiderAdvantage gave Jackson a two-point lead, the same advantage he had in a poll released Wednesday by Suffolk University.
The latter polled 500 Maine voters October 8-11, with Jackson securing 49 percent support to Collins’ 47 percent and 4 percent undecided. However, the results of many polls, including the Suffolk University survey, came within their respective margins of error. And Collins has in the past demonstrated the ability to overcome significant polling disadvantages.
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