{"id":2654501,"date":"2026-09-04T08:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T12:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-collins-gives-hilarious-answer-to-whether-shell-bring-up-troy-jacksons-personal-life-in-maine-senate-race\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T08:57:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T12:57:49","slug":"susan-collins-gives-hilarious-answer-to-whether-shell-bring-up-troy-jacksons-personal-life-in-maine-senate-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-collins-gives-hilarious-answer-to-whether-shell-bring-up-troy-jacksons-personal-life-in-maine-senate-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Susan Collins Gives Hilarious Answer to Whether She&#8217;ll Bring Up Troy Jackson&#8217;s &#8216;Personal Life&#8217; in Maine Senate Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsusan-collins-gives-hilarious-answer-to-whether-shell-bring-up-troy-jacksons-personal-life-in-maine-senate-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2654501&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pressure-mounts-on-sheldon-whitehouse-to-resign-in-shame-over-ties-to-racist-beach-club\/\" title=\"Pressure Mounts on Sheldon Whitehouse To Resign in Shame Over Ties to Racist Beach Club\">recent political developments<\/a> in Maine concerning the Senate race,highlighting the controversial backgrounds of various Democratic candidates. It mentions that Democratic candidates like Graham Platner, who faced scandals involving far-right symbols and social media controversies, and Troy Jackson, who is known to have fathered children with his second cousin, have complicated the nomination process. Despite these issues, Jackson remains a leading contender and is polling ahead of incumbent Senator Susan Collins. Collins, a Republican, has intentionally used humor and pointed remarks about her opponents&#8217; personal lives, notably referencing Jackson\u2019s familial relationships in a witty manner.The article also touches on other eccentric candidates, such as Ashley Webb, who claims songwriting talent qualifies him for office. It emphasizes that Collins\u2019s approach and the candidates\u2019 baggage are indicative of the tumult and unpredictability of this election cycle, suggesting that Collins&#8217;s strategy and Maine Democrats&#8217; candidate selections reflect broader political desperation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Democrats, it seems, cannot nominate someone without a sordid past that\u2019s not thoroughly ridiculous in the critical Maine Senate race \u2014 and Sen. Susan Collins is having a fun time pointing it out.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/politico\/status\/2095135942914797659\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>, Collins was asked whether her opponent\u2019s \u201cpersonal life\u201d ought to \u201cbe relevant to the campaign?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No, of course not, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not going to bring up the fact that the mother of his two children is his second cousin,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Delivered like a perfect sketch comedy routine. Well played, senator.<\/p>\n<p>So, for those of you who haven\u2019t been following the Maine Democratic Senate saga, or have short memories, let me get you up to speed. Last year, the Democratic establishment decided that it was going to clear the field for Gov. Janet Mills in what supposed to be a one-foot putt in terms of a Senate-seat pick-up in a midterm cycle that favors Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>There were several issues with this. The first is that, while Democratic leadership thought Mills was perfect, Mills herself didn\u2019t exactly seem to want the seat.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the fact that, at 78 \u2014 79 by the time the next Congress is seated \u2014 she would become the oldest elected freshman senator in the body\u2019s history, she ran a campaign \u2014 when she eventually declared \u2014 that it would be a kindness to call half-hearted. The other thing is that, by the time she had declared, hobbyist oysterman and progressive activist Graham Platner had started to pick up steam.<\/p>\n<p>Platner hadn\u2019t actually been seriously vetted, and a litany of scandals and rumors came trailing in his wake. From a Nazi tattoo to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/x-loses-attempt-to-block-california-law-requiring-disclosure-of-content-moderation\/\" title=\"X fails to block California law mandating content moderation disclosure\">toxic social media posts<\/a>, there were more red flags thrown than at a NASCAR race held under sniper fire. Nobody seemed to really care. Mills withdrew because she saw the writing on the wall, and Platner won the primary easily.<\/p>\n<p>Then the really disgusting allegations of partner abuse and sexual assault came out and Platner was forced to quit. The Maine Democratic Party gave the nomination the smoky backroom treatment and came up with Jackson, a former state Senate president.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson already came with known personality issues, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/kamala-2-0-coronation-platners-replacement-proves-dems-havent-learned-thing\/\">including a temper problem<\/a> that was public knowledge when he was given the nomination. What wasn\u2019t widely known, at least nationally, is the fact that his partner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/report-democratic-senate-nominee-troy-jackson-fathered-two-children-second-cousin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is his second cousin<\/a> and that he\u2019s fathered two children with her.<\/p>\n<p>It was a fact that reinforced the idea that the Maine Democrats couldn\u2019t actually get behind someone normal; while this isn\u2019t necessarily illegal behavior, it\u2019s not something that falls within the window of balanced, ordered human existence. But that seems to be a theme of Maine Democratic Senate aspirants this year.<\/p>\n<p>Take Senate wannabe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/first-debate-replace-platner-reveals-just-much-trouble-maine-dems\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ashley Webb<\/a>, a man who \u201cidentifies\u201d as a woman who thought he should be on the ballot because, you know, he writes songs and books:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Maine Senate candidate Ashley Webb says his songwriting capabilities qualifies him for the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Webb is seeking to replace Graham Platner as the Dem U.S. Senate nominee.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m going to have to hear these songs before I decide if he\u2019s qualified. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/o94kpk0oKe\">pic.twitter.com\/o94kpk0oKe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/2077948021506203836?\">July 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Now that we have the TL;DR, let\u2019s fast-forward to the Politico interview earlier this week with Collins \u2014 who has accumulated no rape allegations, hasn\u2019t had children with blood relatives, doesn\u2019t pretend to be a woman, and doesn\u2019t think writing a song is a qualification for office. (I\u2019m not saying she\u2019s not a secret, undiscovered Joni Mitchell-level talent who\u2019ll have her discography dumped onto Spotify once she leaves office, but she doesn\u2019t need to run on it when she\u2019s been in the Senate since 1997.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShould the circumstances of his personal life and the mother of his children be relevant to this campaign?\u201d Politico\u2019s Jonathan Martin asked. \u201cIs that fair game, do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I\u2019m not going to bring up the fact that the mother of his two children is his second cousin. I don\u2019t know whether people know that or not,\u201d she said, with a bit of a smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think you just mentioned it,\u201d Martin responded, pretending that he wasn\u2019t the one who brought up the topic in the first place. (Or maybe he meant the couple had children out of wedlock?)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, in Aroostook County, you know it,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/maine-dems-nominate-nazi-tattooed-graham-platner-immediately-attacks-susan-collins-reputation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Collins<\/a> said, smile still there.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udea8 LMAO\u2026I gotta hand it to her, this was RUTHLESS from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)<\/p>\n<p>Q: Should Troy Jackson (D)\u2019s personal life be relevant to the campaign?<\/p>\n<p>COLLINS: \u201cWell, I\u2019m not going to bring up the fact that the mother of his 2 children is his 2nd cousin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8dLbV5Lz7b\">pic.twitter.com\/8dLbV5Lz7b<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EricLDaugh\/status\/2095277251374076230?\">September 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This was used by Chuck Todd, formerly of \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d as evidence that Collins is desperate, calling it \u201cquite the tell, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I know this is what is expected now in politics but something tells me Collins would only be going down this road because she can\u2019t find another way to win. It\u2019s quite the tell actually. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KgN6Th40V2\">https:\/\/t.co\/KgN6Th40V2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chucktodd\/status\/2095234613824147753?\">September 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s \u201cquite the tell\u201d to the extent it shows Collins knows her state because she\u2019s represented it in the Senate for almost 30 years. But aside from that, it\u2019s 1) funny, and 2) a sign of how desperate the Democrats are.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson may well win. Let\u2019s face it: If Mills really wanted this, despite the fact she\u2019d be the oldest elected freshman senator in the body\u2019s history, she\u2019d have it sewn up months ago. She didn\u2019t, apparently because she\u2019s not freaky or degenerate enough to qualify.<\/p>\n<p>And even after the Senate nomination circus that\u2019s been a national spectacle, Jackson still leads Collins in most polls, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/senate\/general\/2026\/collins-vs-jackson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RealClearPolling<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/like-graham-platner-worse-gop-group-vows-42m-campaign-last-minute-replacement-democrat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">radical in his own right<\/a>, just like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/platner-officially-goes-expect-free-palestine-vulgar-message-ice-no-accountability-seriousness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Platner<\/a>. His baggage doesn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/maine-dem-party-graham-platner-isnt-consenting-pushed-aside-candidate-choice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">include rape allegations<\/a>, which is why he\u2019s here. But as metaphorical baggage goes, he\u2019s still a guy arguing with the United check-in counter at Boston Logan regarding how much of a surcharge he\u2019ll have to pay. The only question is whether he\u2019ll be paying a few hundred for the extra baggage, or the tens of thousands Platner would have had to pay.<\/p>\n<p>But no, Collins won\u2019t bring all that baggage up. I just thought we all knew Jackson fathered kids with his second cousin, whom he isn\u2019t married to. I repeat myself, because nothing else will do: Well played, Sen. Collins.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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When asked by Politico if her opponent\u2019s personal life should matter in the campaign, Collins responded simply: no<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2654502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/susan-collins-for-sept.-4-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50380,54092,5894,34870,82490],"class_list":["post-2654501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-humor-2","tag-maine-senate","tag-politics","tag-susan-collins","tag-troy-jackson"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/susan-collins-for-sept.-4-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654501"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2654511,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654501\/revisions\/2654511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}