Troy Jackson’s longtime partner Lana Pelletier has denied telling police in 1988 that he “pushed her around.”
Jackson, 58, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, was 19 when he kicked in a door and assaulted a romantic rival at a Fort Kent home on March 12, 1988, according to a police report first reported by the Bangor Daily News. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. After the occupant told Jackson to leave.
The report described Pelletier as Jackson’s ex-girlfriend at the time. Records indicate she is also his second cousin, and the couple now shares two adult sons.
“I do not remember making the statements attributed to me, and they are not accurate,” Pelletier told The Post in a statement. “This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago.”
She continued, “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.”
The police report said Jackson grabbed the unidentified man by the throat and punched him in the face, causing the victim’s glasses to cut him. Jackson then warned the man to “stay away from Lana Pelletier or else,” according to the report.
A friend broke up the fight after the victim latched onto Jackson’s arm.
The report also indicated Pelletier told officers she intended to pursue a “cease harassment” order against Jackson. There is no indication she ever sought the order.
Jackson addressed the incident in a statement to The Post. “Nearly forty years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man,” he wrote. “I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now.”
He added, “But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman.”
Jackson continued, “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.”
The 1988 brawl is the only criminal case tied to Jackson, and the court file has been destroyed, according to the Bangor Daily News. There are indications he paid $50 to resolve the matter.
Jackson was nominated by Maine Democrats last month to face Sen. Susan Collins, 71, after their initial nominee, Graham Platner, dropped out following rape accusations from a former girlfriend.
The Democrat has faced previous accusations about his temper. He was accused of throwing a water bottle at a female state Senate colleague during an argument. His campaign acknowledged the dispute but claimed he did not target the woman.
Jackson spent 20 years in the Maine Senate, the last six as president of the chamber. He is a fifth-generation logger from Allagash, a town of roughly 240 people near the Canadian border.
In the viral moment that has fueled recent scrutiny, genealogical records revealed Jackson and Pelletier share great-grandparents Thomas Pelletier and Edith Thibodeau, making them second cousins. The couple has never legally married, though Jackson has at times referred to Pelletier as his wife in official bios. Maine does not recognize common-law marriage.
The cousin relationship has been an open secret in Allagash for decades, according to the Maine Wire, which first reported the genealogical connection. Pelletier works as a clinical care specialist with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Jackson’s campaign has described the personal attacks as “shameful and desperate.” The candidate himself fired back at Collins, saying, “Susan Collins will do anything to distract from the fact that she votes with Trump 96% of the time and has sold out working people in Maine.”
The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, has committed to spending over $42 million to defeat Jackson in the November election.