Maine Republicans are hitting newly anointed Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson as Graham Platner’s “biggest supporter” in their latest strategy to hold the Pine Tree State’s contested upper chamber seat.
Maine Democrats nominated Jackson on Saturday as the party’s pick to take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the state’s 2026 Senate election, attempting a do-over after Platner dropped out of the race in the face of a sexual assault allegation against him. Jackson had previously endorsed Platner’s embattled Senate candidacy before the allegation, while Jackson himself unsuccessfully ran for the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
The Republican Party is capitalizing on Jackson’s prior support for Platner, noting that the Maine logger and former state senator stood by Platner amid his many scandals.
“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 Senate Leadership Fund is also tying Jackson to Platner in a new ad, depicting the two politicians onstage together with a voiceover reading headlines that allege Jackson has a “volatile personality” and “anger issues, particularly toward women.”
The Washington Examiner contacted Jackson’s campaign for comment.
The Senate Leadership Fund, which supports Republicans, released a statement critical of Jackson.
“Chuck Schumer forcefully removed Graham Platner from the ballot against the will of Maine voters, only to replace him with a deranged and scandal-plagued political insider. Mainers value steady leadership that yields real results for the Pine Tree State, making Susan Collins the clear choice once again this November,” the fund’s communications director, Chris Gustafson, said.
But despite the attacks from the Right, Jackson has seen significant fundraising success so far in the race as he hits Collins on her work for working-class Mainers.
SANDERS STANDS BY PLATNER ENDORSEMENT, GIVES TROY JACKSON ‘EXCELLENT’ CHANCE
According to a statement from his campaign, Jackson has already raised more than $2 million from over 30,000 donors since Saturday’s nominating convention.
“Susan Collins tells us everything is fine. But we know better. Working Mainers are getting screwed by a rigged system, a system she’s helped Trump and her billionaire backers create. In November, we will defeat her,” Jackson wrote on X on Sunday.