Democratic candidate for the US Senate Troy Jackson listens as he is introduced at a campaign stop at the Supper Club Cocktail Lounge in Portland, Maine, US, Aug. 19, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson has accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza and affirmed that he will not vote in favor of US military aid to the Jewish state if he wins the upcoming November election.
Jackson made the assertions while fielding comments from attendants of a local town hall on Sunday. During the Q&A session, one voter, donning a keffiyeh, asked Jackson if he viewed the war in Gaza as a “genocide.” The voter claimed that Jackson’s position on the war in Gaza serves as a “red line” on whether they would cast a ballot in his favor.
In his response, Jackson reminisced on the recent birth of his granddaughter and expressed sympathy for the Gazan children who have been killed during the Israel-Hamas war. He stated that he would not vote in favor of sending more military assistance to Israel and affirmed his belief that the Jewish state had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
“Thinking about what is going on there is horrific. I can’t imagine how people, you know, live there, and kids have to worry about bombs falling on them,” he said.
“I’m definitely not willing to vote for any more bombs, anymore aid,” he continued.
Jackson lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and claimed he would like to see the Israeli leader prosecuted
“And I obviously reiterate what is going on there is a genocide,” Jackson said, without elaborating.
Jackson’s broadside repudiations against Netanyahu and Israel were met with rapturous applause by the attendees.
Israel adamantly denies allegations of genocide and war crimes more broadly. Officials argue their military has gone to unprecedented lengths to try and avoid civilian casualties, noting efforts to evacuate areas before it targets them and to warn residents of impending military operations with leaflets, text messages, and other forms of communication.
Another challenge for Israel has been Hamas’s widely recognized military strategy of embedding its terrorists within Gaza’s civilian population and commandeering civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and mosques to run operations and direct attacks.
Nonetheless, polling indicates that the Democratic Party electorate has sharply turned against Israel in the three years following the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. Recent polls show that a super-majority of Democratic voters believe that Israel has committed a “genocide” and that strong majorities of Democrats express more sympathy with Palestinians than Israelis.
In the most recent round of Democratic primary competitions for the 2026 midterm elections, candidates have faced immense pressure to stake out aggressive positions on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Many candidates who accused Israel of “genocide” have succeeded in Democratic primaries across the US, serving as a weathervane of the party’s evolving position on the Jewish state.
Jackson replaced disgraced former Maine Democratic nominee Graham Platner in July after a bombshell report implicated Platner in a sexual assault scandal. Platner launched his campaign with an ad accusing Israel of “genocide” and spent the entirety of his campaign launching attacks against the Jewish state and expressing solidarity with the anti-Israel political cause. After Platner ended his campaign, progressive standard bearers demanded a replacement who harbored the same anti-Israel sentiment.