A Republican group’s advertisement claims that Troy Jackson, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine, struck a woman. The ad, released by the Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, asserts that Jackson possesses a “volatile personality” and “anger issues with women,” alongside accusations of “verbal abuse,” “bullying,” and “intimidation.” The advertisement’s on-screen text explicitly states “hitting female colleague” and the narrator elaborates on Jackson’s conduct.
The ad references The Daily Wire, a conservative publication, as the source for this accusation. However, The Daily Wire’s July 7 report was based on a social media post that has since been removed. Current news reports do not substantiate the claim that Jackson hit anyone.
A 2021 incident involved Jackson throwing a water bottle during an argument with Democratic Sen. Heather Sanborn. While this event has been reported by various news outlets, including The Washington Post, CNN, and The New York Times, none of these reports indicate that Jackson or the bottle made contact with Sanborn. Multiple witnesses interviewed by The New York Times stated that Jackson did not appear to be targeting Sanborn when he threw the bottle.
A spokesperson for Jackson’s campaign, BJ McCollister, stated, “Troy never aimed or threw a plastic water bottle at Senator Sanborn or anyone else, and a firsthand eyewitness confirmed that the bottle was thrown away from everyone and struck no one.”
These attacks on Jackson, the former state Senate president, emerged after he secured the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. Graham Platner, who had won the Republican primary, withdrew his candidacy in June following a report of a sexual assault allegation against him.
Origin of the Allegation
The Daily Wire’s July 7 article, titled “Troy Jackson accused of hitting female colleague during argument,” cited a social media post from Progressive Victory, a political group. This post alleged that Jackson “struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her,” adding that “there are many witnesses and it appears this is a widespread open secret within Maine politics and not an isolated incident.”
However, Progressive Victory removed the post on the evening of July 7, issuing a statement that it contained “unverified allegations.” Benjamin Gilbert-Lif, the group’s deputy executive director, informed PolitiFact that Jackson “never struck anyone and there has been reporting that has shown that.” He further stated, “Any ad or political official that cites our post in lieu of that reporting is also spreading unverified and not credible information, just as we did.”
News Coverage of the Water Bottle Incident
Reports from The Washington Post, CNN, and The New York Times detailed Jackson’s temper, including the 2021 incident where he threw a water bottle during a meeting. The dispute arose when Jackson was unable to persuade Sanborn to vote in favor of a bill aimed at reducing prescription drug costs.
Crucially, none of the news reports confirmed that the water bottle hit Sanborn. The accounts offered varying descriptions of where the bottle landed. CNN, citing unnamed sources, reported that Sanborn informed colleagues she felt Jackson had aimed for her and that his conduct was a factor in her decision not to seek reelection.
PolitiFact reached out to Sanborn, who currently serves as Maine’s public advocate, but received no response.
Jackson’s spokesperson characterized the incident as an expression of political passion. “Over 22 years in public office, there have been moments when he let his frustration get the better of him. When that happened, he took responsibility and apologized directly at the time,” McCollister commented.
The campaign provided a witness, state Sen. Mark Lawrence, a Democrat, who was present during the incident. Lawrence told PolitiFact that Jackson “got frustrated and threw a water bottle down but wasn’t directed at anyone. I think it hit the floor and a desk.” Lawrence estimated Jackson and Sanborn were approximately 10 to 12 feet apart and likened the action to a softball player discarding a glove or a tennis player tossing a racquet, calling the situation “totally blown out of proportion.”
The New York Times reported that Jackson threw the half-empty bottle across the room. Two witnesses told the Times that the bottle hit a wall, while another believed it struck a table. All three witnesses were certain the bottle was not aimed at Sanborn, and that Jackson later apologized to her. Jackson himself told the Times, “I shouldn’t have thrown it, but I was passionate,” and expressed a wish that he had never raised his voice.
The Senate Leadership Fund was contacted for comment but did not respond.
Conclusion
An advertisement by the Senate Leadership Fund claims that Troy Jackson hit a female colleague. This accusation stems from an online post by a progressive group, which was later removed and acknowledged as containing unverified allegations. While multiple news outlets have reported on Jackson throwing a water bottle during an argument, none have stated that the bottle struck anyone. Eyewitness accounts gathered by The New York Times indicate the bottle was not aimed at the colleague involved. Consequently, the assertion that Jackson hit a female colleague is unsubstantiated.