Troy Jackson downplays ties to socialists after prior backing

Troy Jackson is up by 1.8 points in the latest RealClearPolitics average, and suddenly he’d rather talk about anything other than the company he kept when he thought nobody was watching. That’s how these political conversions usually go. When victory is within reach, the radical becomes a moderate, the socialist becomes a pragmatist, and the trail of endorsements becomes a series of "misunderstandings." The poll numbers changed, and so did his story. Maine voters should ask themselves which version of Jackson is the real one.

Jackson now says he’s just a regular guy from the north woods who wants to help working families. But his prior backing from socialist organizations isn’t a footnote, it’s the chapter. He welcomed their support, posed for the pictures, and took the money when it served him. Now that the general election audience is watching, he wants to play it down as if it were a barroom argument he barely remembers. That’s not a change of heart, that’s a change of audience. The people of Maine have seen this act before, and it wears thin when the candidate's own record contradicts his new, folksy demeanor.

Collins has her flaws, and we’ve pointed them out plenty. But here we have a challenger trying to outgrow his own past between now and November. His legislative record in the state Senate has been consistent with the hard-left agenda, even if his press releases aren't. He voted that way when it was safe, and he's running away from it now that it's hazardous. The original receipts are public.

For now, the polling gap is narrow, but a late-dawning case of amnesia is a weak foundation for a Senate career. Maine voters who value a clear, consistent worldview over a convenient electoral pivot might want to hold Jackson to the words he said in the past, not the shimmering promise of what he claims to be now. This election is a test of whether Maine will reward the mask or the man. It shouldn’t be this easy to simply re-brand and hope nobody checks the back pages of the local news. They’re checking.