A longtime national super PAC backing Democratic candidates has dropped almost a half-million dollars into Maine to help elect Janet Mills governor, using the funds to fuel social media campaigns that include a Facebook page that doesn’t even mention politics – just clickbait-type articles about Maine.
Priorities USA Action PAC reported receiving $490,346.51 from its nation
al super PAC – a longtime Democrat powerhouse PAC which received $6 million in contributions from Donald Sussman and $5 million for George Soros this year alone, according to the Federal Elections Commission – and spent the bulk of it on social media ad buys, according to an initial financial report filed with the Maine Ethics Commission on Friday.
Other major independent expenditures reported Friday include an almost $360,000 ad buy for Republican candidate for governor Shawn Moody by the Maine Republican Party, and a more than $290,000 ad buy for Mills by Citizens who Support Maine’s Public Schools PAC.
The “Maine Matters” page created by Priorities USA Action appears rudimentary at this stage, with a lone classic lighthouse image and a single post linking to a Press Herald article about a company printing 3D shoes.
The strategy behind the pages, outlined in a recent Daily Beast newsletter, is being used in campaigns in several states. The goal is to use the feel-good posts to build an audience – then run political advertising on those pages that appear alongside the newsfeed, but not in the feed itself. Readers who “like” a post or page likely don’t even realize the entire experience is bought and paid for by a major super PAC.
The page’s “about” section discloses it is a political organization, paid for by Priorities USA Action, but describes its mission as “dedicated to celebrating everything that’s wonderful about this beautiful state. We are committed to shining a light on the individuals who make Maine special and working towards a better future for all.”
Daily Beast newsletter Pay Dirt said Priorities USA Action has set up similar state-specific pages in Florida and Indiana, along with some national pages being served with ads designed to sway key midterm Senate contests.
In Maine, Priority USA Action spent all of their funds on either ad production or media buys on high-profile social media sites, including $198,847 on Facebook, $36,109 on YouTube, $22,029 on Google, $12,179 on Spotify and $8,134 on Pandora, according to state campaign finance reports.
Independent expenditures in state legislative races reported Friday include:
– $121,476 by Rebuild Maine, to support Democratic Party candidates, including $15,525 for Ned Claxton, who is challenging Republican Eleanor Espling in the open seat race in Senate District 20; $14,512 for incumbents Nate Libby in Senate District 21 and $12,375 for incumbent Eloise Vitelli in Senate District 23.
– $50,000 by the National Association of Realtors Fund, for ad buys of about $9,000 each for Republican state Senate candidates Amy Volk, of Scarborough; Jayne Giles of Belfast; Eleanor Espling of New Gloucester; Matthew Pouliot of Augusta and David Woodsome of North Waterboro.
– $500 by the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee to oppose Senator Amy Volk.
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