Graham Platner's replacement has history of violence, unearthed police report reveals

Just weeks after Democrats swapped Graham Platner for Troy Jackson as their U.S. Senate nominee in Maine, a newly unearthed 1988 police report has raised questions about violence in Jackson's past.

Obtained exclusively by Bangor Daily News in collaboration with the Maine Monitor, the report states that Jackson was involved in an assault at a home in Fort Kent, Maine, in the early morning of March 12, 1988.

'I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman.'

Lana Pelletier, Jackson’s girlfriend of roughly 40 years, told the responding officer at the time that Jackson “pushed her around” and that she planned to seek “cease harassment papers,” the report said, according to BDN. If such papers were ever filed, there is no record of them.

The report refers to Pelletier as Jackson's ex-girlfriend, BDN reported.

Jackson also kicked the door in after being asked to leave, then grabbed a man’s throat and punched him, the report said, according to BDN. The blow allegedly broke the man’s glasses and cut his face.

Jackson paid a $50 fine to resolve a subsequent misdemeanor charge and does not dispute the fight with the man.

Jackson and Pelletier both deny that he was violent toward her.

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“Nearly forty years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man. I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now,” Jackson said in a statement. “But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman. This happened nearly four decades ago, and I assure Mainers this incident in no way reflects the man I am today or the life I’ve led in the years since.”

“I do not remember making the statements attributed to me and they are not accurate. This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago," Pelletier said in a statement. "Troy and I have built a life and family together and I know the person he has been through the decades since, both as a caring partner and father."

Jackson and Pelletier, who are apparently second cousins, according to the Maine Wire, have two sons together but do not appear to be legally married.

“I understand Maine voters want to learn about Troy as he seeks to represent them, but personal attacks on my family are unacceptable,” Pelletier said. “In the 40 years since he made a mistake as a 19-year-old kid, Troy has grown to be a passionate advocate for Mainers and dedicated his life to making things better for our state while Susan Collins has been in Washington enriching herself at our expense.”

Jackson secured the Democratic nomination in late July after a rapid process to replace Platner, whose campaign collapsed following a litany of scandals that included allegations of violence and ended with a former girlfriend accusing him of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner denied the allegation.

Democrats harshly condemned Platner following the allegations.

“The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing — violence, abuse, and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable,” Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said regarding Platner in a July press release.

"The assault allegations against Graham Platner are disqualifying and he should be replaced as the nominee,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in an X post at the time.

“As Democrats, we have an obligation to run candidates whose moral character matches the values we stand for. Maine deserves a nominee who can defeat Susan Collins and serve with honor and dignity ... [we are] redirecting resources away from the Maine Senate race in light of the latest allegations,” Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Lauren French said in a July X post.

The Maine Democratic Party did not respond to a request for comment.

Jackson and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will clash head-to-head at the ballot box in November.

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