Troy Jackson, the Democratic nominee challenging for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine, was removed from a Facebook group created to support his campaign after members accused him of responding rudely to them.
The dispute unfolded in the “Mainers for Troy Jackson” group, where participants had been discussing a series of canceled campaign appearances.
Jackson, a former Allagash logger, joined the conversation with the sarcastic response, “so sad.”
He followed up with a terse reminder: “We have one in Belfast this weekend.”
The exchange quickly triggered criticism from supporters, who described Jackson’s tone as patronizing and insulting before removing him from the private group.
“This cannot be Troy speaking,” South Thomaston resident Carla Poindexter White wrote. “He would not speak so insultingly and patronizingly to regular people, let alone supporters.”
“This is horrifying,” Poindexter White added. Her Facebook profile features a photograph of her posing with Jackson.
The Maine Wire confirmed that the account belonged to Jackson, despite her disbelief. The comments were posted from his personal profile, which is reportedly the only one not operated by paid campaign strategists. Jackson is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.
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“Removed . . . freaky,” Poindexter White wrote roughly two hours after Jackson’s response appeared.
The incident marked at least the third time in several days that Jackson, 58, had used Facebook to engage in controversial exchanges. His online activity comes as he competes in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests against five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Jackson has also previously drawn attention for throwing a water bottle during an angry confrontation at the Maine State House.
On Sept. 17, Jackson clashed online with former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, a Republican. Mason accused him of showing an “astonishing lack of judgment” after Jackson said he wished nothing had happened with Graham Platner, the candidate accused of rape whom Jackson replaced on the ballot.
Jackson answered Mason by writing, “Says the guy that supports a child rapist in Donald Trump!”
Days later, in a Sept. 20 Facebook discussion, a Maine voter accused Jackson of mortgage fraud. According to the Bangor Daily News, Jackson dismissed the allegation as “bulls–t.”
The Post previously reported that Maine Democrats, eager to replace Platner with another rugged, working-class-style candidate, rallied behind Jackson, a fifth-generation lumberjack, despite aspects of his past that appeared at odds with the progressive image being promoted.
When questioned by reporters about earlier incidents involving his temper, Jackson defended his emotional style by saying, “I wear my heart on my sleeve.”
Jackson did not reply to a request for comment.
