A 38-year-old police report alleging Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson broke down a door and punched a man over his romantic partner has surfaced during a campaign that could decide Senate control — and the woman named in the report is denying the most damaging claim.

The Bangor Daily News first obtained the March 12, 1988 Fort Kent Police Department report, which describes a then-19-year-old Jackson arriving at a home around 2 a.m., kicking in a door after being told to leave, grabbing the occupant by the throat, and striking him in the face hard enough to cut him with his glasses. Jackson allegedly warned the man to "stay away from Lana Pelletier or else."

The same report states Pelletier told an officer Jackson "pushed her around" after the confrontation and planned to seek "cease harassment papers." Pelletier, Jackson's longtime partner, flatly denies it. "I do not remember making the statements attributed to me, and they are not accurate," Pelletier said in a statement. "This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago." The Bangor Daily News found no record she ever sought such an order.

Jackson acknowledged the fight but drew a hard line on the domestic allegation: "I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman."

A surviving court summary shows Jackson paid $50 to resolve the case. The underlying court file has been destroyed under Maine's records-retention schedule. The paper's background check found no current criminal record for Jackson and no other criminal cases.

The NRSC Pounces

The National Republican Senatorial Committee called Jackson "violent, unhinged, and has no place in the Senate" and tagged Schumer, Warren, Sanders, and other Democrats demanding they condemn the nominee. The NRSC's interest isn't justice for a 1988 fight — it's protecting Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could determine Senate control.

The New York Post ran the story with the aggressive framing that Jackson "attacked" a rival and "pushed around" Pelletier, and added details Fox News omitted: that Jackson replaced the Democrats' initial nominee, Graham Platner, who dropped out after rape accusations from a former girlfriend; that Jackson has a reputation for a "hair-trigger temper" and previously faced accusations of throwing a water bottle at a female state Senate colleague, which his campaign acknowledged but said was not directed at her; and that records describe Pelletier as Jackson's second cousin.

Fox News framed the story around the NRSC's reaction and Jackson's response, leaving out the water bottle allegation and the second-cousin detail entirely.

Pattern Recognition

Ancient allegations surfacing at the moment of maximum political damage, destroyed court files, a named witness disputing the record, and party operatives demanding instant condemnation — the playbook is familiar. Jackson was 19. The court file is gone. The woman at the center of the domestic allegation calls it inaccurate. The justice system resolved it with $50.

The fight happened. Jackson admits it. The domestic allegation is disputed by the only named witness. The court file is destroyed. Now Maine voters decide what matters — and Washington operatives hope they decide in a hurry.