Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) announced Sunday that she is ending her campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, removing one of the party’s highest-profile candidates from the race to replace former Democratic nominee Graham Platner.

In a statement released Sunday, Bellows said she was stepping aside to focus on her duties as Maine’s chief elections official amid what she described as increasing threats to democracy.

“Today I am withdrawing from the U.S. Senate race,” Bellows said. “Donald Trump’s attacks on our democracy are only accelerating, and the best way that I can serve our state and country at this moment is by focusing exclusively on my role as Secretary of State.”

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Bellows also acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding the Democratic nominating process, which was compressed into a matter of days following Platner’s withdrawal from the race.

“This has been an unprecedented nominating process, compressed into days instead of months, and I’m grateful to every volunteer who worked around the clock for this movement,” she said. “That energy is exactly what we need to beat Susan Collins in November — and Democrats don’t have a day to waste in unifying around that shared goal.”

Her withdrawal comes as Democratic delegates continue gathering support for candidates ahead of next weekend’s emergency nominating convention in Bangor, where party delegates will select a replacement nominee.

Second Consecutive Statewide Defeat

Bellows’ decision marks another setback in her efforts to win higher office.

She previously lost a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2014, when Republican incumbent Susan Collins defeated her by a wide margin. Bellows later won election as Maine secretary of state through the Legislature in 2020 and was re-elected by lawmakers in 2022. Bellows also failed to win the Democrat nomination for Governor in the last election.

During the abbreviated 2026 Senate campaign, Bellows sought to position herself as an experienced statewide official capable of uniting Democrats following Platner’s withdrawal. Her campaign, however, struggled to gain momentum as former Senate President Troy Jackson emerged as an early favorite in the delegate selection process.

Long History of Clashes With Trump

Bellows has become one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics and has repeatedly found herself at the center of national political controversy.

In late 2023, Bellows ruled that Trump was ineligible to appear on Maine’s Republican presidential primary ballot under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, making Maine the second state to attempt to remove him from the ballot.

The decision generated national attention and was immediately challenged in court. After the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that individual states lack the authority to disqualify presidential candidates under the Constitution, Bellows reversed her decision and restored Trump to Maine’s ballot.

The episode elevated Bellows’ national profile but also drew sharp criticism from Republicans, who argued she exceeded her constitutional authority.

Controversies as Secretary of State

Bellows’ tenure overseeing Maine elections and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles has also been marked by several controversies that have drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers and election integrity advocates.

Among them:

• Voter Registration of Non-Citizens: Bellows acknowledged that a small number of non-citizens had been found on Maine’s voter registration rolls. Her office said those registrations resulted from administrative errors and that there was no evidence of widespread illegal voting. Republicans argued the discovery highlighted weaknesses in the state’s voter registration system and called for additional safeguards.
• Newburgh Ballot Incident: Bellows’ office faced scrutiny after approximately 250 absentee ballots were discovered inside an Amazon return box in Newburgh during the 2024 election cycle. The ballots were ultimately recovered and counted, but critics questioned how they ended up in the container. The Secretary of State’s office said the ballots had been mistakenly deposited there but did not provide a definitive public explanation for how the error occurred, leading Republicans to continue raising concerns about election procedures.
• License Plate Design Changes: Bellows also faced criticism over changes to Maine’s license plate policies and designs, including disputes involving specialty and vanity plates that opponents argued reflected political or ideological decisions by the state.
• ICE Agent License Plates: More recently, Bellows drew criticism from Republicans after her office paused the issuance of confidential registration plates for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The decision sparked debate over balancing officer safety with government transparency, particularly amid heightened public scrutiny surrounding ICE operations in Maine.

Supporters have defended Bellows throughout those controversies, arguing her office has administered elections fairly and in accordance with state law while modernizing Maine’s election and motor vehicle systems. Critics, however, have contended the incidents raised broader questions about election administration and decision-making under her leadership.

With Bellows now out of the race, the Democratic field continues to narrow as delegates prepare to choose a nominee who will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November. Former Senate President Troy Jackson has emerged as an early leader in delegate support, while former Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah, brewery owner Dan Kleban and several other candidates continue seeking backing ahead of the July 25 convention.