Troy Jackson voted to put men in women's prisons and is now running for the United States Senate in Maine.
A reporter asked him this week to explain how he voted.
What Jackson said when asked to explain that vote is something Susan Collins will be running ads on through November.
The Question Jackson Would Not Answer
Jackson appeared on MS NOW's The Briefing on Wednesday to address the campaign controversy surrounding his vote to allow transgender-identified men to be housed in Maine's women's prisons.
The host asked him about it.
Jackson declined to explain how he voted.
He declined to defend the vote.
He declined to say whether he stood by it.
What he said instead: "However I voted or whatever, but this is not something that I'm going to be willing to use as a distraction."
Read that sentence again.
A candidate for United States Senate, asked directly about a vote he cast in his official capacity as a public official, responded with the phrase "however I voted or whatever."
He does not want to tell you how he voted.
He does not want to defend it.
He does not want to discuss it.
He wants you to stop asking.
Why Jackson Called It a Distraction
Jackson's argument was that his opponents are using the men-in-women's-prisons issue to distract voters from "economic issues" – which he defined as healthcare, prescription drug costs, childcare, housing, and reproductive rights.
He said he would not "demonize" his neighbors in Maine.
He accused his opponent, incumbent Susan Collins, of trying to divide Mainers rather than address real issues.
Here is the reality: Jackson voted for a policy that most Maine voters – and most American voters – find self-evidently wrong.
He voted for it when he held public office.
That vote is a matter of public record.
His constituents have a right to know why he made it.
A female inmate at the Maine Correctional Center described what that policy meant in practice: a convicted killer housed in the women's facility threatened to rape her.
That is not a distraction.
That is what the policy Jackson won't defend produced.
Calling it a "distraction" is not a policy argument.
It is a request to stop asking a legitimate question.
What Jackson's Dodge Actually Reveals
Troy Jackson voted to put men in women's prisons.
He knows that vote is unpopular enough that he will not defend it by name.
He has decided his best strategy is to refuse to engage with the question entirely.
That is not the posture of a candidate who believes he made the right call.
That is the posture of a candidate who made a vote his party demanded and now hopes voters will forget it before November.
His framing – that this is a distraction from economic issues – reveals exactly the calculation the left has made on this issue.
They know these policies are toxic in a general election.
They know that when voters hear "men in women's prisons" they do not need an explanation of why it is wrong.
So they try to shift the conversation to healthcare and housing prices, hoping the momentum of economic frustration will carry them past the question they cannot answer.
Jackson told his interviewer he would not demonize his neighbors.
Asking an elected official how he voted on a piece of legislation is not demonization.
It is basic accountability.
Susan Collins' campaign ran ads on Jackson's vote.
Jackson called those ads divisive.
But no political ad created the vote – Jackson created the vote.
Collins' campaign just made sure voters knew about it.
Maine is a competitive state.
Jackson needs every persuadable voter he can find.
The ones watching The Briefing this week saw a candidate who cannot explain his record in complete sentences.
"However I voted or whatever" is not a Senate-caliber answer.
Maine deserves one.
Sources:
- Breitbart, "Troy Jackson: 'However I Voted' on Men in Women's Prisons, I Won't 'Demonize' Others," September 2, 2026.
- Fox News, "Troy Jackson Confronted With Voter Telling MS NOW He'd Support Collins Over Him," September 2026.
- BizPac Review, "Dem Senate Hopeful Backed Trans Prison Policy — Female Inmate Says Convicted Killer Threatened to Rape Her," September 2, 2026.
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