Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson has removed a significant number of past social media posts in which he praised Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and Marine veteran who withdrew from the Senate race earlier this month following accusations of sexual assault. Platner has denied wrongdoing.
Jackson, who secured the Democratic nomination over the weekend to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, had been a vocal supporter of Platner. In posts made before the allegations surfaced, Jackson publicly endorsed Platner, shared articles about their shared focus on labor issues, and highlighted their campaigning together.
One X post from May stated, "Graham Platner is exactly the sort of Democrat that Susan Collins and the Republican Party don’t know how to handle. It’s why I endorsed him back in February, and it’s why I support him now." Another post from March featured a video of Jackson and Platner playing pool, with Jackson writing, "It’s time to upset the status quo. I’m proud to endorse my friend, @grahamformaine."
Jackson's campaign stated that the older posts were removed "after a serious allegation of sexual assault emerged" and that they "no longer reflected Troy’s position."
Jackson officially replaced Platner as the Democratic candidate for Maine's Senate seat after finishing third in the gubernatorial primary. Democrats view the race as crucial for their efforts to regain control of the Senate in November.
The Republican National Committee criticized Jackson's actions, with press secretary Natalie Baldassarre saying, "Troy Jackson is trying to erase his past and is shape-shifting like a political chameleon in order to gain power." She added, "Troy Jackson is a devout socialist who stood hand-in-hand with Nazi rapist Graham Platner until the bitter end, and no amount of deleted posts is going to change his past."
Jackson's remaining posts include one from July 6, in which he called for Platner's withdrawal from the race following the allegations. "There is no place in our politics for sexual violence," Jackson wrote. "Graham Platner must withdraw from this race today. This is not what we stand for. Not as Democrats, not as Mainers, not as human beings."