The left-wing FRAME Strategies lobbying firm with ties to Troy Jackson has been running the astroturfed “Chickadee Network” to boost left-wing messaging and attack Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on social media using volunteers. The scheme does not appear successful.
[RELATED: Troy Jackson Builds Commanding Lead as Maine Democrats Begin Selecting Senate Convention Delegates…]
The Chickadee Network began public operations on July 12 with a training Zoom call hosted by political strategist Natalie LaPlant and FRAME president BJ McCollister, and has amassed just 47 members as of July 22.
“We believe that the Democratic Party is trailing in general in its ability to engage with voters on social media, and this is our approach and this is our theory behind how we can make a difference and defeat Collins in this critical race,” said LaPlant during the training video.
The awkward presentation lasted for about an hour and explained that the “Chickadee Network” would operate through a Slack channel where the administrators would post left-wing social media content, and members would be invited to repost, share, and comment on those posts in order to boost their performance in social media algorithms.
Members are meant to indicate whether they have shared, liked, or commented on a post using emoji reactions.
A Maine Wire reporter was able to infiltrate the low-security Slack channel and catch a glimpse of the grassroots activism at the forefront of efforts to unseat Collins.
Based on the emoji system they use (in which one means nothing, and two means one member has reacted), the left-wing activists in the group typically ignore the posts they are meant to like, comment on, and repost, though some do draw as many as one or two comments or reposts.
The administrators also occasionally highlight posts from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), and ask “Chickadees” to make critical comments in response.
On Tuesday, LaPlant congratulated the “Chickadees” on their “really great work” after they made just three comments under an Instagram post from Sen. Collins.
LaPlant also celebrated comments on an Instagram post about the Democrats’ process for replacing Graham Platner, though she revealed that Facebook commenters are still largely unhappy with the process.
That came after she unveiled talking points for the Chickadees, and asked them to thank the Maine Democrats for “ensuring Mainers had a voice in the delegate selection process, because the best way to beat Susan Collins is to nominate the candidate who best represents the will of Maine voters.”
The Slack channel does not appear to be the resounding success that FRAME Strategies had hoped it would become.
Among the 47 members are LaPlant, McCollister, and another FRAME Strategies lobbyist, Max Rush, who served as Troy Jackson’s chief of staff during his time as Maine’s Senate president.
Lee Kline, vice chair of the Hancock County Democrats, is also a member of the group.
FRAME Strategies
Natalie LaPlant serves as the Chickadee Network’s Community Manager, and the majority of the non-automated posts on the Slack come from her. According to her LinkedIn page, she previously worked as Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry’s (D-Cumberland) communications director, digital director for Sen. Angus King’s 2024 campaign, and the Maine Senate Democrats’ Digital Communications Manager.
Though neither her LinkedIn page nor FRAME Strategies’ website lists her as an employee, she does have a FRAME Strategies email address.
It is not clear from campaign finance disclosures which candidate, PAC, or party organization paid FRAME to establish the Chickadee Network, or how much the firm accepted for the service.
Federal Election Commission funding reports do not show any national-level campaign payments to the firm during the current election cycle.
The firm does have close ties with Jackson, though there is no evidence that Jackson’s campaign paid it to start the Network. The Chickadee Network’s Slack channel primarily instructs people to share posts from the Maine Democratic Party and has not taken sides in the Senate nomination process.
McCollister, like Rush, also previously served as Jackson’s chief of staff from 2018 to 2021 before founding the Resurgam Group, a lobbying firm that has since merged with FRAME.
Troy Jackson’s son, Chace Jackson, was a partner and lobbyist with Resurgam, and lists that as his current role on LinkedIn, though it is not clear whether he is still associated with Resurgam/FRAME following their merger.
[RELATED: Troy Jackson Backs Gun Control After Gun Control Group Hires His Son’s Firm…]
McCollister personally drew in $240,218 in 2024 and $252,200 in 2025 from his lobbying activities, according to his Maine State Ethics Commission disclosures.
The Chickadee Network confirms that, though it does not currently appear as a client of any of Maine’s Senate or Congressional campaigns, FRAME Strategies remains an active participant in Maine’s high-stakes midterm election cycle.
