Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) wants a vicious Republican attack on her opponent pulled off the air, but there's an awkward wrinkle in her objection.
The Maine Republican on Thursday disavowed a new radio ad from the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Republicans, that labels her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson as a "creep," The Hill reported. The trouble is that the ad's central attack rests on a personal claim Collins herself put into circulation.
According to the Associated Press, the spot plays out over a country tune carrying the lyric, "If he'll screw his own family, he'll screw yours too."
The line traces back to remarks Collins made in an interview with Politico, where she pointedly raised Jackson's relationship with his second cousin while insisting she wasn't raising it.
"I'm not going to bring up the fact that the mother of his two children is his second cousin," Collins said at the time. "I don't know whether people know that or not."
Speaking at a campaign stop in Lewiston, Collins said the ad should come down. She also kept her distance from the super PAC by pointing out that federal law bars her from coordinating with outside groups like it.
The dustup caps an increasingly bitter contest between the two candidates. At their final debate last week, they clashed over immigration, campaign finance and a host of other issues.
The night took a strange turn when a protester interrupted Collins mid-answer. The senator said that the heckler was "one of Troy's supporters," prompting a sharp retort from Jackson.
"Oh, shut up. I don't even know that kid," Jackson shot back.
Collins, first elected in 1996, is seeking a sixth term in the Senate.
The stakes for her are steep. Forecasts from Decision Desk HQ, The Hill's election partner, give Jackson a 56 percent chance of winning the seat, compared with 44 percent for the longtime incumbent.