Troy Jackson, the Maine Democrat who appears poised to replace accused rapist Graham Platner as the Democrats’ U.S. Senate nominee, used to be a staunch social conservative, a record Republicans could exploit to divide the party’s left-wing base.
Jackson, a logger and former president of the Maine State Senate, is the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic nomination. Over the weekend, he secured the backing of hundreds of delegates pledged to support him at the party’s upcoming state convention, while two other top contenders, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, dropped out of the race.
Platner, who decisively won the Democratic primary, dropped out following an explosive rape allegation that surfaced against him, which he has denied.
Jackson’s ascent, however, does not come without real risks for a candidate who remains largely unvetted and untested on the national political stage. A New York Times report dove into Jackson’s political record, which includes conservative positions on issues ranging from abortion and same-sex marriage — stances he is now working overtime to scrub from the minds of leftist Maine Democrats.
Before earning a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood, Jackson received a perfect rating from the pro-life group Maine Right to Life, according to the nonpartisan Project Vote Smart.
Now, he’s trying to walk that record back, telling the New York Times: “I’ve made mistakes early on in understanding” around the issue of abortion. “Regardless of this U.S. Senate race, I’m really, really proud of how I’ve turned that around and, you know, done the right thing. I mean, I was wrong.”
“I was always conflicted,” Jackson, who grew up Catholic, told the outlet. “I had a hard time getting to a place I felt comfortable. But as time went on, I had a lot of conversations with people.”
In 2022, he condemned the overturning of Roe v. Wade but admitted to a local Maine news outlet that he struggled to embrace abortion. Jackson has since introduced and helped enact some of the most extreme pro-abortion legislation in the country, which allows, at a doctor’s discretion, abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
Jackson is also under fire for voting against a bill in 2009 that would have legalized same-sex marriage in Maine. He’s walking back that position, too, telling the Times it was his “worst vote ever.”
Jackson first ran for the Maine House of Representatives as a Republican in 2000 but lost. Two years later, he won the seat as an independent, defeating an incumbent Democrat. He sought re-election as a Democrat in 2004 and won. Then, he was elected to the Maine Senate in 2008 and served until 2024, except for a two-year hiatus following a failed U.S. House campaign.
During that tenure, the self-described populist has shown a tendency to lose his temper and burst out in public settings. A Washington Post story published Monday revealed that Jackson once hurled a water bottle in a meeting after failing to persuade a colleague to vote his way.
In another incident, Jackson is said to have screamed at another lawmaker, who then took to social media to complain that straight men were “too emotional” to work in politics, according to the Post.
Responding to the report, BJ McCollister, a campaign adviser, admitted that the Senate hopeful has had “moments when he let his frustration get the better of him.”
“Troy regrets the moments when disagreements became too heated,” McCollister told the Post, “but passion for the issues he advocates for should not be confused with physical intimidation or bullying.”
If officially nominated, Jackson, who has vowed to carry on Platner’s agenda, will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election.
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