Graham Platner’s Replacement Accused Of Having Kids With Cousin

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson has two children with his second cousin — longtime partner Lana Pelletier — according to genealogical records first reported by journalist Steve Robinson. 

Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, became the Democrats’ nominee after the party’s previous candidate, Graham Platner, withdrew from the race amid rape allegations, forcing Democrats to replace their Senate standard-bearer in one of the nation’s most closely watched contests. Jackson now faces incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in a race viewed as critical to the battle for Senate control.

According to genealogical records, Jackson and Pelletier share the same great-grandparents, Thomas Pelletier and Edith Thibodeau. Their daughter, Albertine Pelletier, was Jackson’s grandmother, while their son, Louis Pelletier Sr., was Pelletier’s grandfather, making the couple second cousins.

Jackson and Pelletier have been together since high school and are the parents — and simultaneously third cousins — of two adult sons.

The relationship is legal under Maine law. While state law prohibits marriages between first cousins without additional statutory requirements, it places no restrictions on second cousins marrying or having children. Genetic experts generally consider second-cousin relationships as presenting no meaningful increase in the risk of inherited disorders compared with the general population.

Throughout his political career, Jackson has generally referred to Pelletier as his “partner.” The couple has never legally married, although some older official biographies referred to Pelletier as Jackson’s wife. 

Jackson has built his political image around his upbringing in the rural St. John Valley, frequently describing himself as a fifth-generation logger from Allagash before rising through organized labor and Democratic politics to become president of the Maine Senate.

The revelation comes as Jackson prepares for a high-profile general election against Collins, one of the Senate’s most vulnerable Republican incumbents. National Democrats view the race as a key pickup opportunity as they attempt to regain control of the Senate.

Neither Jackson’s campaign nor Pelletier has publicly addressed the genealogical reporting.