Conservative commentators reacted strongly to a report alleging that Troy Jackson, the Democratic candidate in Maine’s Senate race, fathered two children with his second cousin, whom the article describes as his high-school sweetheart. The allegation has drawn attention because Jackson was selected to replace Graham Platner after Platner withdrew from the contest.

The report was published by Steve Robinson, editor-in-chief of the Maine Wire, according to Fox News. The article characterises the online response as predominantly conservative criticism, while presenting the claim as a report rather than an independently established fact.