Shah Gets $650,000 Outside Ad Boost as Polls Put Him Slightly Ahead in Maine Primary
The late ad raises questions about donor disclosure and possible coordination with consequences for ranked-choice voting transfers.
Overview
- 314 Action launched a $650,000 television ad supporting Nirav Shah on Tuesday, and reporting identified Education Reform Now Advocacy Inc. as one of the ad’s top funders.
- An independent Pan Atlantic Research poll released Wednesday showed Shah with 29% first-choice support and a narrow advantage on measures of appearing in voters’ top two choices.
- Rivals Troy Jackson and Shenna Bellows publicly criticized the donor link because Education Reform Now promotes charter schools and school choice, a stance that puts it at odds with the Maine teachers union.
- Maine’s campaign finance watchdog is reviewing questions about possible coordination between campaigns and outside groups, and Education Reform Now has not yet filed updates that would clarify how much it contributed to the ad.
- Because Maine uses ranked-choice voting, late outside ads could shift second-choice transfers and change the outcome, so analysts will be watching how the ad affects voter preferences in the final weeks before the primary.