BANGOR, Maine — After months of scrutinizing Graham Platner, Republicans are now focusing their efforts on his successor, with a 100-day countdown to defeat him.
The GOP’s new target is Troy Jackson, whom they label as even more problematic than Platner. Described as a socialist prone to policy reversals, Jackson is portrayed as a perennial loser in politics, an insider yet unfamiliar, with an illegitimate nomination, anger issues, and lacking charisma.
These are just some of the strategies Republicans are planning to deploy against Jackson, who was the Maine Senate president and recently lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary. However, he secured the party’s nomination to oppose Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in the upcoming November election.
The NRSC, the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, outlined their critique in a “messaging guidance” document, observed by Playbook. They argue that “Mainers already rejected Troy Jackson once this year after his unsuccessful gubernatorial bid. Now Democrats are asking voters to trust a politician they didn’t want leading Augusta to represent them in the U.S. Senate.” The document describes Jackson as a “radical, ill-tempered career politician” with a “failed record and socialist agenda,” deeming him unsuitable for Maine.
The stakes are significant, considering Collins is the sole Republican senator seeking re-election this cycle in a state Kamala Harris won in 2024. The NRSC’s recent donor memo, shared with Playbook, concedes that Democrats’ hopes of reclaiming the chamber largely depend on Maine, acknowledging that “Jackson is fully capable of winning this seat if we become complacent.”
The initial Republican strategy is to associate Jackson with Platner, highlighting their shared populist platform and joint campaign efforts. Following Jackson’s official nomination, the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC for the Senate GOP, announced a six-figure ad campaign starting with an image of the two Democrats embracing on stage.
The advertisement claims, “Jackson is like Graham Platner but worse,” referencing reports from WaPo and CNN about Jackson’s alleged temper and contentious interactions.
The NRSC also released a video on X showing Platner transforming into Jackson, captioned “No tattoo, same crazy,” alluding to Platner’s controversial tattoo. James Blair, part of President Donald Trump’s political team, remarked that “Troy Jackson is all the baggage without the ‘rizz,” on X.
Jackson had supported Platner through various controversies until a POLITICO report revealed allegations of sexual assault against Platner by a former partner, which Platner denies. Jackson then publicly distanced himself from Platner, claiming Platner “lied to me.”
Jackson has since avoided contact with Platner. When asked about the SLF ad, Jackson commented, “anyone that I may have argued with, that I might have went too far or got too passionate, I apologize to.”
The Republicans’ next move is to depict Jackson as a “political insider” to erode his populist image at a time when voters distrust establishment politicians. The NRSC memo urges action “to define him before national Democrats frame him as a populist outsider.”
SLF Communications Director Chris Gustafson criticized, “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.”
This strategy includes highlighting Jackson’s long political career and his past unsuccessful bids for higher office. Despite being the second-highest official in Maine as Senate president, Jackson failed to secure the Democratic nomination for Congress in 2014 and for governor this year, a point Republicans are keen to exploit.
Adding to the “insider” image is the method of his selection. While over 200,000 Mainers voted for Platner in the primary, only 566 Democratic delegates chose Jackson at the nominating convention. Republicans are framing this as a decision by party insiders, with RNC Chair Joe Gruters noting on X that “not one single vote was cast for Troy Jackson” in the Senate race.
Collins campaign spokesperson Shawn Roderick remarked that “one month ago, Troy came in third in the Democratic primary for Governor. Now he will run for Senate as the third choice of his party insiders,” adding that “a 24-year Augusta insider was appointed to run for the Senate by fewer than three-tenths of one percent of its primary voters.”
Jackson is determined to uphold his image as a populist, emphasizing his roots as a fifth-generation logger over his political tenure. He quickly shifts discussions about his connection with Platner to his involvement in pro-worker initiatives, while maintaining a sharp focus on opposing Collins.
Jackson campaign adviser BJ McCollister stated, “Only Susan Collins could spend nearly 30 years in Washington voting with Donald Trump 96 percent of the time and taking millions from corporate special interests, then call a fifth-generation logger from Allagash a ‘party insider.’ Mainers know who Troy Jackson is—and they know exactly who Susan Collins works for.”
In response to GOP criticisms after securing the nomination, Jackson attributed the attacks to “Senator Collins trying to make sure that she can win re-election on a really bad record.”
He further emphasized his experience, saying, “I’ve been in the legislature for 20 years. I do believe I’ve been vetted. I’ve been tested. People know exactly what I’m fighting for. They know that I’ve had their back, and they know they can trust me.”
Andrew Howard contributed to this report.
