Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger who has touted his working-class bonafides on the campaign trail, is facing backlash from both sides of the aisle over a viral ad that critics are labeling as tone-deaf pandering.
“If Republicans spend $46 million on these TV ads, who’s gunna be convinced by that?” Jackson is asked in the ad as he sips a boba tea.
Jackson then looks around and smiles before saying “the 1%ers” as a photo of his opponent, Sen. Susan Collins, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are shown on the screen.
The ad’s caption reads “sips boba tea” alongside a boba and wide-eyed emoji.
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The ad’s post on X was widely mocked by Democrats and Republicans and has been viewed over 2 million times.
“Maine is the oldest median age electorate in the nation,” Democratic strategist Steve Schale posted on X. “I know I’m not a DC strategist but I really, really don’t get it.”
“Troy Jackson needs to win but videos like this are unhelpful and cringey,” liberal influencer Harry Sisson posted on X. “Please change it up! No boba tea!”
“The same people that ran Mallory McMorrow’s campaign into the ground are telling you to do this goofy s—,” left-wing podcaster Kyle Kulinski posted on X. “Just get out there and tell the truth and speak from the heart for economic justice and against war and stop with all this bulls—. C’mon man. You’re smarter than this.”
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“It’s a little bit funny to be desperately trying to position as working class masculine male and have gen-z women run your socials like they would run their own personals,” Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X.
“… ,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Southern regional press secretary Reilly Richardson posted on X.
” Weird,” GOP communicator Steve Guest posted on X. “Looks like the first time that Troy Jackson has ever had boba.”
“Boba tea! Just like regular people! ” journalist Chris Cillizza posted on X.
“Want to remind you that Democrats were openly proud of how masculine their Maine campaign was going to be and then they ran this ad,” former Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh posted on X.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jackson’s campaign for comment.
A recent poll indicates Collins is ahead of her Democratic challenger in a crucial Senate showdown in blue-leaning Maine that could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
Collins, who is running for a sixth six-year term in the Senate, stands at 49% support among likely voters, with former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, the Democratic nominee, at 46%, with 5% undecided in the New York Times/Siena poll. Collins’ three-point edge is within the survey’s margin of error.
The survey, which was conducted Sept. 15–22, is one of the first to indicate Collins ahead of Jackson since he replaced former Senate nominee Graham Platner in late July.
Platner, a combat veteran and oyster farmer, won the June Democratic Senate primary in a landslide. But a month later he dropped out following an explosive report containing an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the report but stepped aside. Collins slightly trailed Platner in most polling at the time he ended his campaign.
Jackson, who campaigned alongside Platner earlier this year as he unsuccessfully ran for governor, won a special nominating convention to fill the party’s vacant Senate nomination.
The poll release came as Collins pushed back against a report by ProPublica that the FBI sought to launch a pay-to-play investigation examining Collins and others. The investigation was later dropped and no one working for Collins was charged.
Collins ripped the report as “offensive” and a “partisan hit job” orchestrated by Democrats.
Jackson took to social media to claim that “Susan Collins is blatantly corrupt.”
Collins’ advantage over Jackson in the new survey comes even as 55% of those questioned said they prefer Democrats to control the Senate next year, with 43% saying they’d like the GOP to retain the majority.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
