A Maine small business owner and loyal Republican voter says she was deceived into appearing in a political advertisement boosting a Democrat challenging Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), despite believing she was helping the veteran GOP lawmaker.
According to The Daily Wire, Kelly Kusnirak, who operates a laundromat in the Scarborough area and has supported Collins for years, discovered her image unexpectedly in a streaming ad promoting Democrat Troy Jackson. She told The Maine Wire she was stunned when the spot appeared on her screen.
No, absolutely not. I am not a Troy Jackson supporter at all, Kusnirak said, recalling her reaction to seeing the ad. 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.
I feel like I was duped, Kusnirak added, describing what she views as a deliberate effort to exploit her goodwill toward Collins. A videographer, she said, arrived at her business last spring and represented that the footage was being gathered for the Collins campaign.
As a longtime Collins backer, Kusnirak agreed to participate, assuming she was helping a senator she believes has consistently stood up for Maine. 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, she said.
Her shock quickly turned to concern about the broader implications of such tactics. If theyre willing to mislead me, how far will they go? And, you know, when will it end? she asked, suggesting the episode reflects a deeper problem with Democrat-aligned political operatives.
Months after the filming, the clip surfaced in an ad funded by CFFE PAC, the political arm of the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, which claims in its disclaimer that it is not authorized by any candidate. In the spot, Kusnirak, labeled on screen as Kelly, South Portland, ME, sits before a row of washers and dryers and laments Maines soaring expenses, saying, Rent is not affordable. Buying a house is not affordable.
An on-screen graphic then pins the blame for rising costs on Collins before cutting to Jackson at a podium urging voters to support him in November. Kusnirak insists the ad not only misused her image but also misassigned responsibility for Maines economic woes.
She argues that Democrats in Augusta, not Collins, are driving the states affordability crisis, noting that Jackson spent six years as Senate president. The economic problems we have in Maine right now are pretty much the result of our legislature in Augusta that has been in control for the past eight years, she said.
Susan Collins works on the national level, but she always puts Maine first when she makes decisions that affect Maine, Kusnirak continued, praising the senators record. She added that Collins does more for Mainers economically on certain issues than the legislature in Augusta has done for any Mainer when it comes to affordability.
Compounding the controversy, Jackson was not even the Democrat nominee when the footage was captured; he was later installed by a small party convention after Graham Platner exited the race amid sexual assault allegations. The Robinson Report, which first detailed Kusniraks account, also highlighted reports that Jackson fathered two children with his second cousin, raising further questions about the candidates judgment.
CFFE PAC, meanwhile, is flush with cash and deeply invested in electing Democrats who support a bigger-government economic agenda at odds with President Trumps pro-growth policies. The group has reported $5.32 million in outside spending this cycle, including $647,793 in support of Jackson and $829,688 for Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, with its largest single donor being Pivotal Ventures, Melinda French Gates investment and philanthropy firm, which contributed $2 million.
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