Republican state lawmakers accused Secretary of State Shenna Bellows of bias on Wednesday, and called for her removal from office.
Republicans contend that Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was motivated by politics or her own ambition when she disqualified former President Donald Trump from the March 5 primary ballot because of his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump has appealed the decision to Maine's Superior Court and the issue could ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court given the challenges to Trump's candidacy in Colorado, Maine or other states.
At least one Republican took to the House floor on the first day of the 2024 session to demand that Bellows resign over her decision. Republicans are also hoping to hold a vote next week on an impeachment resolution sponsored by Rep. John Andrews, R-Oxford. That appears unlikely to pass in the Democratic-controlled Legislature, however.
But Minority leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham said Wednesday that there is "universal" agreement within his caucus that Bellows acted wrongly.
"Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has demonstrated herself unfit for the office of secretary of state with this decision," Faulkingham said. "She has made a decision that threatens to throw our country into chaos. It's a decision that you would see in banana republics and not something that you would see in great republics like the United States of America."
Bellows has said that she was only carrying out her obligation as secretary of state. Maine law allows voters to formally challenge whether a candidate should be on a ballot and five people — including two former Republicans state senators — moved to disqualify Trump. Two of those challenges focused on Section Three of the 14th Amendment, a post-Civil War amendment aimed at keeping Confederate military leaders from holding public office.
Bellows held hearings, read written arguments from both sides and ultimately found Trump was ineligible. And she dismissed any attempts to impeach her as purely partisan.
“The suggestion of impeachment is a political fight to distract people’s attention from the legal issues," Bellows told Maine Public on Tuesday. "It’s a complete sham. I am confident I followed the law and did my duty under the law. And to be targeted by harassment, threats, to have my home swatted and now this sham impeachment proceeding is wrong. It's ugly politics, politics at its worst."
Police responded to Bellows' home over the weekend after receiving a call from a man who said he broke into the house. Bellows was not home at the time and a police search turned up nothing suspicious. But such "swatting" incidents — in which false calls are placed to spark a large, heavily armed police response — are growing more common in politics nationally.
The Republican leader in the Maine Senate, meanwhile, said that Bellows' decision to remove President Trump from Maine's ballot has united the Republican party.
Sen. Trey Stewart of Presque Isle accused Bellows during a State House press conference of being motivated by partisan bias and a desire to make national headlines. Stewart predicted that the courts will ultimately reinstate Trump to the ballot and suggested that Bellows' decision was perhaps the best thing to happen to Trump's campaign.
"She is in fact the best thing that Donald Trump has going for him right now," Stewart said. "By helping to stir up our base and motivate our base, I can tell you that the Republican base in Maine is incredibly energized over this. We have been hearing constantly from our constituents and we will do everything we can to change this decision."
Maine's Superior Court is under a compressed timeline to take up the case because ballots are supposed to be mailed to military personnel and overseas voters later this month. Any decision from there could then be appealed to Maine's Supreme Judicial Court.
Trump's campaign, meanwhile, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Colorado high court's decision to remove him from that state's ballot because of the insurrection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Bellows suspended enforcement of her decision pending the court challenges. And she said she would follow the court's ruling in the Colorado case.
"We would welcome a U.S. Supreme Court decision on this matter," Bellows said. "That would make these matters clear and we would implement them."
