Supporters of Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson say a nearly 40-year-old police report alleging he punched a man and pushed his longtime partner will not be a factor in the pivotal race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Jackson on Wednesday acknowledged the fight with a man but denied ever being violent with his partner, Lana Pelletier. Pelletier also denied he pushed her and said she has no memory of making the statement attributed to her by police, which was obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
News of the police report came as Jackson looks to ramp up a campaign under the national spotlight after replacing Graham Platner on the ballot a few weeks after the populist oyster farmer and one time ally was accused of rape. Republicans have been eager to link Jackson to Platner, but supporters contrasted the pair by noting Jackson was only 19 at the time.
“Troy was just out of high school,” Peggy Schaffer, the former state Democratic vice chair, said. “I think it shows how little they have on him … he might have beat up a Canadian logger in 1988 and he trolled [former Gov. Paul] LePage. I don’t know any Democrat who didn’t troll LePage.”
Schaffer added that Jackson’s focus on where he stands on issues like abortion, healthcare and food stamps compared to Collins is what voters will care about come November.
Jordan Wood, a former candidate for U.S. Senate and Maine’s 2nd Congressional District working to help elect Jackson and other Democrats, said his initial reaction to the story was that it “didn’t seem like a big deal.”
He also said the allegations of Platner’s misconduct are a far cry from what was alleged about Jackson and his experiences with the former state Senate president, whose supporters include women lawmakers he once argued with over policy in Augusta.
“When you’re 19, you make mistakes,” Wood said.
Groups backing Collins, including the Republican National Committee, the Senate campaign arm and the leadership-tied political action committee that’s investing at least $42 million to help Collins defend her seat, unloaded criticism on Jackson in the wake of the police report.
A spokesperson for the RNC called Jackson “an angry, violent man” and “Platner 2.0.” A mass text went out to Mainers on Thursday that falsely summarized and linked to the BDN story, citing a “new police report.” It was unclear who paid for the messages because there was no disclosure.
Devon Murphy-Anderson, the Maine Democratic Party executive director, told reporters Thursday that Jackson can speak for himself. She said the party stands behind his statement denying that he was violent with Pelletier. She added that the party was focused on what another term for Collins means for Mainers, particularly reproductive rights at risk.
Jackson’s campaign referred to statements released Wednesday by Pelletier and the candidate. Pelletier said it was “the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago,” calling the candidate a caring partner and father.
The campaign also pointed to supportive statements from former state Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, and activist Betsy Sweet, the latter of whom said the idea that the incident illuminated something about him now is “patently absurd.”