Democratic senators are standing by Maine Senate nominee Troy Jackson despite a bombshell report claiming he fathered two children with his second cousin — a scandal that would have ended most campaigns before they started.
Jackson replaced scandal-plagued Democrat Graham Platner on the ballot after Platner was forced out following a rape allegation earlier this summer. Now Jackson faces his own family controversy, but Senate Democrats are circling the wagons anyway.
The Maine Wire first reported last week that Jackson shares two children with his second cousin, Lana Pelletier. Editor Steven Robinson published genealogical findings allegedly showing Pelletier’s father is a cousin of Jackson’s mother.
“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, AND I’M NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON IT ANYWAY.” — Sen. Angus King, Maine independent
When Fox News Digital pressed Senate Democrats on the report this week, not a single one would condemn Jackson or withdraw support. Most claimed they hadn’t heard about it — despite the story making national headlines.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., dismissed the controversy entirely. “I don’t know anything about that, but what I do know is that we have got to elect Democrats up and down the ballot,” she told Fox News Digital.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., echoed the party line: “I haven’t heard of these reports. Troy Jackson is somebody who’s obviously in this fight for working people.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., ignored the question’s substance completely. “I think it’s super important that we win that seat so that we can put an end to the wild cost increases and rampant corruption that the Senate right now is indulging,” he said.
Maine’s independent Sen. Angus King said he had “no idea” what Fox News was talking about and refused to comment further.
Jackson’s campaign didn’t deny the report. Instead, it accused Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine — Jackson’s opponent in the general election — of running a smear campaign.
“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,” the campaign said in a statement. “Personal attacks on Troy’s family are shameful and desperate.”
The campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.
Jackson secured the Democratic nomination after receiving 94% of the 601 delegate votes in the replacement process this summer. He stepped in after Platner dropped out following a rape allegation that finally forced Democrat allies to turn against him. Platner denied the claim but ended his Senate bid before the deadline for Democrats to get a new candidate on the Maine primary ballot.
Democrats argue the seat is critical to retaking the Senate majority in November. Collins, a moderate Republican, has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997 and remains a tough opponent in a state that leans independent.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., initially dodged when asked if he’d endorse Jackson, pointing instead to Michigan’s Democratic race before finally saying, “In Maine, we’ll see who wins.”
Alsobrooks framed the election as part of a broader fight against Trump and Republicans. “We have a president who today, again, has no strategic plan about getting us out of that war in Iran, where our children are dying on the battlefield while his are getting rich,” she said.
A recent Fox News Poll found 56% of voters oppose U.S. military action against Iran, with 40% strongly opposing the war — a sign the ongoing conflict could affect voter turnout in November.
Alsobrooks said she’s supporting “the Democratic nominee in every single state” to ensure her party retakes Congress. “We are going to have to take back the House and take back the Senate as well so that we can bring down the cost of living, get people healthcare again,” she said.
Jackson’s fate now rests with Maine voters, who will decide in November whether the family scandal disqualifies him — or whether Democrats’ desperate push to flip the seat will carry him across the finish line anyway.
