A newly surfaced police report accusing Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson of assaulting a man and pushing his partner in 1988 has handed Republicans fresh ammunition in a race that could decide Senate control.

The report, first detailed by the Bangor Daily News, describes a late-night confrontation in Fort Kent, Maine, on March 12, 1988. Jackson, then 19 years old, allegedly went to a home around 2 a.m. When the male occupant told him to leave, Jackson allegedly kicked the door in, grabbed the man by the throat, and punched him in the face. The victim's glasses cut his face during the blow. A friend broke up the fight.

The brawl was reportedly over Jackson's longtime partner, Lana Pelletier. But the most politically damaging detail may be what Pelletier herself allegedly told responding officers: that Jackson had "pushed her around." The case ended with a $50 fine, according to Jackson's campaign.

Jackson admits the fight but denies any violence toward women

Jackson did not dispute the physical confrontation with the man. In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, he framed the incident as a youthful mistake he has long since owned:

"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. 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."

Pelletier, who is also Jackson's second cousin and the mother of his two adult children, issued her own statement. She said she does not remember making the statements attributed to her in the police report and called them inaccurate.

"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. 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."

Pelletier went further, casting the scrutiny as a political attack. She said personal attacks on her family were "unacceptable" and pivoted to Jackson's opponent, Republican Sen. Susan Collins, claiming Collins "has been in Washington enriching herself at our expense."

Republicans label Jackson 'Graham Platner 2.0'

The Republican National Committee wasted no time. In a social media post, the RNC declared: "Troy Jackson is Graham Platner 2.0: Violent and unhinged." The comparison is pointed. Graham Platner, the oysterman who won the June Democratic Senate primary in a landslide, dropped out of the race last month amid rape allegations he denied. Maine Democrats then selected Jackson as his replacement on July 25 in Bangor.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee directed its fire at Democratic leadership. In a post on X, the NRSC asked Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand directly:

"Is this incredibly disturbing report of violence and abuse not enough for you to drop Troy Jackson?"

The NRSC followed up with a series of social media posts targeting Democratic senators and nominees who had endorsed Jackson, asking whether they would "call on Troy Jackson to drop out."

None of the Democrats questioned by Fox News Digital about the report were quoted responding in the article. That silence, in a race this tight, is itself a data point. A Fox News poll released earlier in the week showed Jackson holding a slight two-point edge over Collins, within the survey's sampling error.

A second allegation adds to the pressure

The 1988 police report is not the only accusation Jackson faces. The conservative-leaning Maine Wire reported that an unnamed man from Allagash, Maine, who says he has known Jackson for decades, alleged he witnessed Jackson strike Pelletier in a separate incident years ago. The details of that alleged incident, when it occurred, the circumstances, and any corroboration, remain unclear.

Jackson has faced additional controversies beyond the assault report. Breitbart reported that Jackson was previously accused of yelling and throwing a water bottle at a female lawmaker, has faced questions about late tax payments, was the subject of an ethics complaint over his residency, and failed to file required Senate financial disclosures. The article also referenced mortgage improprieties and other potential liabilities that have surfaced during what one Democratic strategist called a compressed vetting process.

That strategist, who spoke to Fox News Digital anonymously, put the situation bluntly:

"This is a bit of a rocket vetting process. Maine Democrats have made their choice, and they're just going to have to ride with it."

Jackson's background complicates the Democratic pitch

Jackson's political biography is unusual. A former logger from the remote northern tip of Maine, he was once a conservative Republican before switching to the Democratic Party over two decades ago. He served as state Senate president and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. His campaign has leaned on a populist, progressive platform.

But the party-switching, combined with reports about his personal life and now the resurfaced assault record, gives Republicans a wide target. Jackson himself acknowledged last month that Collins would try to use opposition research against him, telling Fox News Digital he believed the attacks were driven by Collins's desire to win "on a really bad record."

"I've been in the legislature for 20 years. I do believe I've been vetted, I've been tested. People know exactly what I'm fighting for. I have their back. And they know they can trust me."

Whether 20 years in the Maine statehouse constitutes adequate vetting for a U.S. Senate race is exactly the question Republicans are now forcing. Collins is the only Republican Senate incumbent running for re-election in a state that voted against Trump in 2024, making her seat one of the most closely watched in the country. Democrats' path to a Senate majority runs directly through Maine, and the party's bench there keeps breaking.

The Maine Senate contest is among roughly a dozen races that will determine whether Republicans hold their slim Senate majority. Republican groups have already committed tens of millions to the state, and the resurfaced police report gives them material that goes beyond policy disagreements.

Pelletier's denial clashes with the written record

The core tension in Jackson's defense rests on a contradiction that no campaign statement can easily resolve. A police report from 1988 says Pelletier told officers Jackson "pushed her around." Pelletier now says she does not remember making those statements and that they are not accurate. Both things cannot be true. Either the officers recorded a statement that was never made, or Pelletier's current account does not match what she told law enforcement nearly four decades ago.

Jackson's campaign has not challenged the authenticity of the police report itself. His statement acknowledged "a fight with another man" and said he "took responsibility for it then." The campaign confirmed the $50 fine. What Jackson disputes is the allegation of violence toward Pelletier, an allegation that came from Pelletier's own reported words to police at the scene.

Maine Democrats picked Jackson to replace a nominee who left the race over allegations of violence against a woman. Now their replacement nominee faces a police report in which his own partner allegedly told officers he pushed her around. The party can call it ancient history. Voters will decide whether the pattern is coincidence or carelessness.