Second-Cousin Relationship Adds Unexpected Twist to Democrats’ Must-Win Race

Troy Jackson, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate selected to step in after scandal-plagued Graham Platner, is now facing a controversy of his own just as the high-stakes race heats up.

Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and longtime Maine politician who has often highlighted his deep family ties to the state, is drawing scrutiny over his relationship with his longtime partner, who is alleged to be his second cousin.

The claim threatens to create an unwelcome distraction for Democrats in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched and politically consequential Senate contests this fall.

Although Jackson and his partner, Lana Pelletier, do not appear to be legally married, he has publicly referred to Pelletier as his wife on multiple occasions.

The pair have been together since high school, live in the same home, and have two adult children.

According to the allegations, they also share the same great-grandparents.

The reported family connection was first published by Steve Robinson, chief editor of the Maine Wire, who said tips and genealogical records showed Jackson and Pelletier were both linked to the same great-grandparents, Thomas Pelletier and Edith Thibodeau.

“Jackson, a 26-year politician and lobbyist, has made a career of bragging that he’s a fifth-generation logger, but you don’t have to go far back the generational line to find where it crosses paths with the ancestors of his significant other Lana M. Pelletier,” the publication wrote.

Jackson’s campaign blasted the flurry of headlines about Jackson as ‘shameful’ and a politically motivated attempt to help the Republican incumbent retain her seat this fall.

‘Susan Collins will do anything to distract from the fact that she votes with Trump 96 percent of the time and has sold out working people in Maine,’ a campaign official told the Daily Mail in response to a request for comment. 

‘Personal attacks on Troy’s family are shameful and desperate,’ the campaign spokesman added.

‘Allagash tipsters and genealogical records confirm that Jackson’s longtime significant other, Lana Pelletier — his high school sweetheart and the mother of his two adult sons, Chace and Camden — is, in fact, his second cousin by blood,’ it continues.

The Daily Mail has not yet independently verified those records, and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s requests for comment. 

Reports of their longtime love affair could be deeply politically damaging, and comes as Democrats in the state race to make up for lost time and unseat Senator Susan Collins with less than 100 days before Election Day. 

But it’s not, as Robinson notes, actually illegal in the state. Maine has no law that bans second cousins from getting hitched – though the two are not legally married – and the genetic risks associated with children born to first-cousin marriages are considered by genealogists as negligible. 

Still, the unsettling information might do little to move the needle with voters, as early reactions on social media made clear.

‘Can’t wait for democrats to defend cousin marriage!’ congresswoman Nancy Mace said on social media.  

Sean Spicer, Trump’s former White House press secretary, also weighed in. 

Hours after the news broke, the internet was replete with memes and puns about the unorthodox relationship. ‘RELATIVE ATTRACTION,’ one social media post said, sharing a link to the news.

‘Maine DNC offices pitching the backup for Graham Planter,’ another user quipped.

Others reiterated the ‘legally okay’ refrain – but it’s unclear if those defenses will be enough to die down the uproar in the weeks and months ahead. 

For Democrats, it’s a nightmare scenario, and could cost them a seat that is crucial to retake the Senate this November. 

And for Jackson, the news broke at a somewhat uncomfortable time – during a trip to the nation’s capital, with its near-ubiquitous presence of reporters and politicos smattered across nearly every DC establishment. 

It was only a matter of time before he would be spotted, and he was: at the Hamilton, a vibey, wood-paneled bar and restaurant in the heart of the city’s downtown, shortly after the Maine Wire story began circulating online.

Photos shared with the Daily Mail by other diners in the room appear to capture him schmoozing with fellow diners – though it’s unclear who – and enjoying his time away from Bangor.