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Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) on Thursday launched her campaign to take the place of Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine.
In a statement after Platner’s exit, Bellows, who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in 2014, said the people of her state “have been building a movement that deserves to continue all the way to November,” referencing the political newcomer’s surge since last August.
“After serious consideration, I am announcing my campaign for United States Senate, because I believe that together we can unify Democrats in Maine at this difficult time, and forge ahead with a campaign that fights for working people, stands up to a broken system that’s working against us, and defeats Susan Collins,” Bellows added.
Platner, whose progressive platform catapulted him to victory in the Democratic primary last month, suspended operations on Wednesday after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations, saying Wednesday they are “all false.”
One woman, Jenny Racicot, alleged to Politico and CNN that Platner raped her in 2021. Another ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, told The Washington Post he removed his condom while they had sex.
Multiple Democrats have thrown their hat in the ring to take Platner’s spot on the ballot, including former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban and former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood.
Kleban and Wood previously ran for the Democratic Senate nomination this cycle, before ending their campaigns in the fall.
If Bellows becomes the nominee, she will square off against Collins in a rematch of their 2014 duel. In that race, the Republican incumbent won by nearly 37 points over Bellows — who was coming off an eight-year stint as the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine.
Since then, Bellows spent four years in the Maine Senate and has been the state’s top election official since January 2021.
Nearly three years into her tenure, she ruled President Trump could not be on the ballot in the 2024 GOP presidential primary in Maine, citing his conduct with regards to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Supreme Court unanimously overturned her decision in March 2024.
As for how Maine Democrats will choose Platner’s successor, leaders from the state party said Wednesday that state committee members voted to hold a nominating convention on the matter. Under state law, Maine Democrats must select a replacement by July 27.
“We will announce the full timeline, details for how the nomination process will move forward, information about how to participate, and requirements for candidates soon. We will keep the public informed throughout the process — transparency is of the utmost importance,” said party chair Charlie Dingman, vice chair Imke Schessler and executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson in a joint statement.
On Thursday, Bellows said her campaign “will be your campaign,” echoing the populist rhetoric from Platner.
“It will be about the people of Maine, who are fighting so hard to just get by, pay the bills, and save a little bit for their future. It will be about the people who are sick and tired of getting screwed over, while the billionaires and massive corporations get special favors in Washington, D.C.,” she added.
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