Who’s Behind the Mysterious PAC Dropping Huge Sums to Reelect Susan Collins?
From its TV spots to its digital ads to its financial backing, all signs point towards 1820 PAC’s involvement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
One of the most vulnerable Republican 2020 Senate incumbents is getting major air cover from a new super PAC designed to sound like a local group. But all signs point toward the involvement of the country’s biggest business lobby 500 miles away in Washington, D.C.
The group, a super PAC called 1820 PAC, has dropped about $700,000 on ads this year pressing for the re-election of Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who is facing a tough fight in a race sure to be one of the most expensive of the cycle. The name of the PAC is a reference to the year of Maine’s founding, but 1820’s mailing address is in Washington. And a PAY DIRT analysis of public records shows the fingerprints of one of DC’s heaviest political hitters: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber didn’t respond to our comment request. But when asked about its relationship with 1820, Scott Reed, a senior political strategist for the business group, told us in an email, “The Chamber’s voter-education program is in close contact with other outside groups that share the same goals.”