A political advertisement produced by a Republican-aligned super PAC targets Maine Democrat Troy Jackson, labeling him “corrupt” and claiming he used his legislative position to financially benefit his son.
According to the commercial released by the Senate Leadership Fund—an organization dedicated to maintaining the Republican Senate majority through unlimited campaign spending—Jackson “cosponsored a bill sending millions of taxpayer dollars to his son’s lobbying client” during his time as a state senator.
The spot specifically alleges that “Jackson’s son charged nearly $200,000 lobbying” tied to “$13.4 million in additional taxpayer funding.”
By pairing dramatic news clips warning of “fraud and wrongdoing” with footage of a 2024 funding bill Jackson cosponsored, the ad attempts to paint a picture of illicit activity. The legislation in question aimed to secure financial support for a public college that has long enjoyed backing from both parties, including Jackson’s campaign opponent, Republican Sen. Susan Collins. However, a review of the public record reveals that the ad skips crucial context and leaps to conclusions unsupported by verifiable facts.
While school records indicate Chace Jackson performed legislative work for the academy, state lobbying disclosures do not list the institution as his client, and the exact compensation he received remains opaque. Furthermore, there is no clear evidence that Chace influenced the Senate funding measure.
Ad Cites Corruption Allegations Unrelated to Jackson
The commercial opens with broadcast news excerpts highlighting serious legal accusations, though none of the referenced reports have any connection to Jackson:
- “Allegations of fraud and wrongdoing,” states a news anchor. This audio is pulled from a 2025 WGME-TV (CBS 13 News) segment regarding alleged tax fraud at Gateway Community Services, a nonprofit. The broadcast did not mention Jackson. State health officials subsequently halted MaineCare payments to the organization, and a handful of staff members faced tax fraud charges.
- “Rot and corruption in Augusta,” declares another reporter. This clip originates from a May 2026 report by News Center Maine discussing a policy proposal by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles to combat state government corruption. Jackson was not referenced in the report.
- “Another scandal in a disturbing pattern with corrupt politician Troy Jackson,” claims a female voice-over alongside video of Jackson. The ad provides no source for this audio, and independent searches yielded no match. The Senate Leadership Fund did not respond to inquiries regarding its origin.
Though these clips are designed to prime the audience to expect corruption, the subsequent claims fall short of proving any wrongdoing.
Legislation Targeted Maine Maritime Academy Funding
The commercial draws on an August report from the conservative Washington Free Beacon concerning a bill Jackson cosponsored in January 2024. Representatives for the Senate Leadership Fund pointed to this article as the basis for their claims. The measure would have funneled $13.4 million to the Maine Maritime Academy, a public college located in Castine.
The advertisement fails to note that Jackson—who served as Senate president at the time—was merely one of 10 bipartisan cosponsors. The academy pursued the additional funding to address what it described as a financial disparity compared to other state and regional maritime institutions. During legislative hearings, school representatives testified that the money would help expand enrollment and boost the state’s economy.
While the bill passed the Senate unanimously, it ultimately failed to become law for reasons unrecorded by local news outlets, meaning the academy did not receive the proposed $13.4 million that year.
Nevertheless, the Maine Maritime Academy regularly receives state budget appropriations—ranging between $9 million and $16 million annually over the past five years—receiving approximately $12.2 million in 2024.
Unclear Connection to Jackson’s Son
Connecting Jackson’s legislative sponsorship to his son’s employment, the ad asserts that “special interests paid Jackson’s son, and Jackson pushed their agenda.”
Public documentation regarding this relationship is sparse, making it impossible to determine whether Chace Jackson’s activities influenced lawmakers’ votes on the bill.
State ethics filings show Chace Jackson registered as a “legislative affairs coordinator” for the academy in December 2022, followed by a registration as the president’s office legislative coordinator in January 2024. These public records offer no specifics regarding his day-to-day duties or compensation, and the academy did not respond to requests for comment.
In December 2022, the lobbying firm The Resurgam Group announced Chace Jackson’s addition to its public affairs staff. The firm was founded by BJ McCollister, Troy Jackson’s former chief of staff.
State lobbying disclosures indicate that Chace’s clients paid $182,500 to the Resurgam Group in 2024, though the Maine Maritime Academy was not among the listed clients. Martha Currier, assistant director of the state ethics commission, explained that lobbying reports reflect total firm compensation rather than individual payouts, meaning Chace did not necessarily receive the entirety of that amount.
The firm’s disclosed clients included various businesses, a law firm, a gun safety coalition, environmental organizations, a public health association, and a labor union.
Chace Jackson did not respond to inquiries regarding his work with the academy. Resurgam has since merged with Frame Strategies, a firm currently producing advertisements for Jackson’s current campaign.
Jackson’s campaign declined to comment on whether Chace encouraged his father to support the 2024 bill, reiterating that the academy was absent from Chace’s lobbying disclosures and emphasizing that Troy Jackson and other legislators have a long history of supporting the institution.
Bipartisan Support for the Academy Predates Chace Jackson’s Employment
Records show that Jackson voted in favor of state budgets containing funding for the academy years before his son began working for the school in 2022.
In 2019, Jackson commended the Legislature for approving a budget focused on education and workforce development, which included a nearly 3.3% funding increase for higher education institutions, including the academy.
Similarly, after Jackson departed the Legislature, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a 2025 budget featuring a 4% increase for higher education, which also benefited the Maine Maritime Academy.
The college has likewise received consistent bipartisan backing from Maine’s federal delegation, including Collins, independent Sen. Angus King, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden.
According to Currier, Maine does not mandate that lawmakers recuse themselves from votes simply because a family member works as a lobbyist.
Craig Holman, an ethics lobbyist for the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, noted that to his knowledge, no state enforces a mandatory recusal rule under such circumstances.
PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact-check.