A Maine Republican who supports U.S. Senator Susan Collins says she was tricked into appearing in a political advertisement backing her preferred candidate’s Democratic rival, Troy Jackson.
Kelly Kusnirak, a resident of Scarborough and a local laundromat owner, stated that she was approached earlier this year under the impression that she was participating in a promotional campaign supporting Collins. Instead, she later discovered her appearance was used in material supporting Jackson.
“I definitely feel like I was misled because when I did finally see the ad, I was like, ‘oh wow, look at that banner, Troy Jackson,’” Kusnirak said during an interview with the regional news platform The Robinson Report. “I was surprised to see that it was for Troy Jackson. Totally did not expect that. I thought it was going to be for Susan Collins.”
The contested commercial was funded by the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC, or CFFE PAC. The original broadcast included a standard disclaimer clarifying that the spot was not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. The video featured Kusnirak seated inside her laundromat addressing the rising cost of living in Maine, interspersed with on-screen messaging that asserted, “Susan Collins is too expensive for Maine.”
Following the broadcast, Kusnirak recorded a counter-advertisement that was authorized and financed by the Collins campaign. In the follow-up spot, she clarifies her political stance, identifying herself as “not a Troy Jackson supporter at all,” and questions voters by asking, “if they’re willing to mislead me, how far will they go?”
Inquiries for comment regarding the original production and the claims made by Kusnirak were submitted to both the Jackson campaign and the political action committee responsible for the initial ad.
