Troy Jackson, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine, has drawn scrutiny over his support for legislation that would have directed millions of dollars in public funds to the Maine Maritime Academy, while his son was registered as a lobbyist for the institution. Jackson is set to face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.
Documents indicate that Jackson, a former state senator and president of the Maine Senate, co-sponsored legislation in 2024 that proposed $13.4 million in funding for the academy. This followed a bill he backed in 2023 that would have provided the academy with an additional $2 million annually. Both legislative efforts occurred during periods when his son, Chace Jackson, was actively lobbying for the college.
Chace Jackson first registered as a lobbyist for the Maine Maritime Academy in December 2022 and renewed his registration in January 2024. Around the same time, his father was co-sponsoring the bill that sought over $10 million for the academy. A separate bill from early 2022, which Jackson supported and provided the academy with a one-time $6.8 million payment for building repairs, predates his son's official lobbying registration.
The 2023 bill Jackson supported was enacted, but the proposed 2024 funding measure passed the Maine Senate but did not become law. Chace Jackson also represented other clients, including a multinational alcohol company, during his father's tenure in the state senate. After Jackson left the chamber in 2025, his son's client list decreased.
Republicans have criticized Jackson, with the National Republican Senatorial Committee's press secretary Bernadette Breslin stating that Jackson "has turned public office into a family affair of self-enrichment." The Jackson campaign countered that he "Troy Jackson has fought for working Mainers, and [is] guided by one goal: fixing our broken system so Maine's working families stop getting squeezed while the rich get richer."
In April, Jackson had spoken about the need to change Maine's "status quo" due to "special interests, high-priced lobbyists and corporate greed." His critics have pointed out the perceived contradiction given his son's role as a lobbyist.
Jackson replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee after Platner withdrew from the race following a series of controversies. Jackson and the Maine Maritime Academy did not respond to requests for comment regarding the lobbying records.