Maine Democrats brace for more questions about Troy Jackson after rushed coronation

Democrats in Maine faced a barrage of attacks for supporting former Senate candidate Graham Platner, who was plagued by scandals that eventually crescendoed with sexual assault allegations from a previous romantic partner.Then came Troy Jackson, the former gubernatorial candidate, who swooped in as the party’s choice to take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) after a rushed nominating convention last week.But now, with Jackson pushed into the national arena in one of the most closely watched races in the country, reports are emerging of more and more skeletons in the progressive Democrat’s closet, leading some to brace for what else was missed in the hurried vetting of the previous state senator. Maine Republicans have jumped at the opportunity to drag Jackson for his past, on Friday boosting reports that the 58-year-old may be in a relationship and have children with his second cousin.Independent journalist Steve Robinson reviewed genealogical records that revealed Jackson and his partner share great-grandparents, making them second cousins by blood. Lana Pelletier and Jackson are not married but have been in a relationship for decades and share two children together.Jackson had often spoken of his hometown of Allagash, Maine, to tout his humble beginnings and career as a fifth-generation logger. The town has a population of roughly 250 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.The Maine GOP preemptively responded to constituents who plan to call the party’s office about the news of Jackson’s alleged familial ties to his partner.“To everyone planning to call our office about this Troy Jackson news tomorrow – we just had to say, NO, we do not know what’s wrong with @mainedems – but it is only affecting them!,” the party said in an X post. “The rest of us Mainers are still quite normal.”Senate Republicans also shared a video of Jackson being asked for places to visit in the Pine Tree State, which the poster captioned, “just caught up with Troy Jackson in DC — asked him for some dating advice since he apparently knew the right places to take his cousin.”Jackson responded to the report, saying, “Susan Collins will do anything to distract from the fact that she votes with Trump 96% of the time and has sold out working people in Maine.”“Personal attacks on Troy’s family are shameful and desperate,” he continued.Jackson also reportedly ran an alias account called “Canadians for LePage” to troll former Gov. Paul LePage and other state Republicans while he served in the state Senate, commenting on negative statements about the then-governor and the state’s GOP on Maine’s Bangor Daily News website. A spokesperson for the Jackson campaign poured cold water on the reported troll page, arguing many of the comments made reflected stances the then-state senator had taken publicly.Also a target for attacks was Jackson’s behavior while he served in the state Senate.The Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC that supports Republican candidates in their bid to keep the GOP majority in the chamber, released an ad on the day of Jackson’s nomination highlighting a 2021 incident in which he allegedly threw a water bottle at a female colleague.“A volatile personality, anger issues with women, verbal abuse. It’s not Graham Platner. It’s Troy Jackson,” the SLF ad said. “Jackson has a history of conflicts with women, bullying, even intimidation.”A fact-check by a Maine ABC affiliate found that Jackson had not aimed at Democratic state Sen. Heather Sanborn with the water bottle during a heated meeting. The outlet’s fact-check concluded that the bottle-throwing being an intentional attack on Sanborn was untrue.The GOP first went after the candidate for his endorsement and proximity to Platner, alleging that Jackson didn’t have a change in opinion about the embattled former candidate and is only backtracking to garner support.“Troy Jackson bragged about being one of Graham Platner’s earliest supporters. When the news of Platner’s Nazi tattoo came out, Jackson stood with Platner. When Platner blamed women for getting raped because they get drunk, Jackson stood by Platner. And when the media reported Platner was violent toward women, Jackson stood again with Platner,” a new advertisement from Pine Tree Results PAC, which backs Collins, said.The steady stream of attacks comes less than a week after Jackson was thrust into the general election, leaving Democrats little time to define their new nominee before Republicans do it for them.FRANCESCA HONG LEANS INTO SOCIALIST RECORD IN WISCONSIN GUBERNATORIAL RACEThe compressed timeline also leaves Jackson facing an incumbent with a significant head start. Collins, who is seeking a sixth term, had amassed roughly $16 million for her reelection bid before Jackson became the nominee, while Republicans have already begun spending to introduce him to voters through negative advertising.For Maine Democrats, who turned to Jackson to stabilize the race after Platner’s campaign collapsed, the question now is whether the controversies surrounding their replacement nominee end here, or whether the rushed process left more for Republicans to uncover.