Troy Jackson, the Maine Democrat nominated to replace Graham Platner in the state’s U.S. Senate race, voted for legislation allowing qualifying 16- and 17-year-olds diagnosed with gender dysphoria to obtain nonsurgical “gender-affirming” hormone therapy without parental consent after a parent or guardian refused to support the treatment.
Jackson voted in 2023 for LD 535, titled “An Act Regarding Consent for Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy for Certain Minors.” The legislation subsequently became law.
The measure allows 16- and 17-year-olds to consent to nonsurgical hormone therapy without the consent of a parent or guardian if they meet several requirements.
Under the law, the minor must have been diagnosed with “gender dysphoria,” discussed the potential treatment with a parent or guardian who refused to support it, and provided written consent to receive the treatment.
Jackson’s legislative record also includes a vote supporting the use of taxpayer dollars for transgender surgeries involving minors.
He additionally voted repeatedly against measures intended to protect girls’ sports, including LD 1337, LD 868, LD 233, LD 1134.
Maine Democrats formally declared Jackson the party’s U.S. Senate nominee at their July 25 convention after he secured support from 566 delegates statewide. Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, will face incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) after replacing Platner, who withdrew from the race earlier in July.
A Washington Post report published detailed allegations that Jackson repeatedly yelled and cursed at fellow lawmakers while leading the Maine Senate. The report cited a 2021 dispute in which Jackson allegedly threw a water bottle and was “an inch from” then-state Sen. Heather Sanborn’s nose while “screaming and hollering and haranguing her.” Campaign adviser BJ McCollister acknowledged that there were moments when Jackson allowed his frustration to get the better of him but denied that his conduct amounted to intimidation.
Breitbart News senior writer John Nolte characterized the allegations as evidence of bullying and intimidation rather than isolated expressions of frustration. Citing the Post’s reporting, Nolte highlighted accounts that Jackson’s behavior made some colleagues nervous, that then-Maine House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross removed him from her office during a confrontation, and that Democratic lawmakers had discussed his temper as a problem.
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