Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson said he's "not going to apologize" for claiming two different homes as his primary residences while serving as president of the Maine Senate, claims that prompted allegations of mortgage fraud.
Jackson made the comments during a Tuesday evening debate against his Republican opponent, incumbent senator Susan Collins. After Collins said he "has a lot to answer for on a mortgage that he got for an FHA loan"—one that requires the buyer to use the home as a primary residence—Jackson acknowledged that he claimed residency both in Maine's capital city, Augusta, and in Allagash, where Jackson was legally required to live as a state senator. But Jackson denied that his actions were illegal or inappropriate, arguing that he had to spend more time in Augusta for legislative purposes.
"My home is in Allagash, but I showed up every day to work," said Jackson. "I made all my votes too, and I had to have a place in Augusta. In the past, I've had hotel rooms, I've had apartments. We had a house."
"So I'm not going to apologize for standing out and fighting for my constituents," Jackson continued, "because that's what I did." Collins noted that Jackson was paid tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded travel expenses after he bought the Augusta home to be closer to Maine's State House building.
Jackson’s critics have accused the candidate of committing mortgage fraud, noting that state law requires legislators to be primary residents of the district they represent. In 2023, Maine state representative John Andrews, a Republican, filed an ethics complaint against Jackson regarding the FHA loan. But the state ethics commission declined to open an official investigation.
During the debate, Jackson also dismissed criticism over his son, who worked as a high-priced lobbyist while Jackson served as Maine Senate president and advocated for bills that Jackson supported. After moderator Gregg Lagerquist noted that Jackson has been "accused of abusing [his] power" to "help out [his] family, including a lobbyist son," Jackson said, "My son didn't do anything wrong."
