Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says she's running for governor next year. As Steve Mistler reports, Bellows is the second Democrat to announce their intent to replace Gov. Janet Mills.
Bellows has been involved in state politics for two decades, first as the director of the ACLU of Maine and more recently as Maine's top election official. In between, she challenged Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2014 and later won a state Senate seat in a swing district just outside of Augusta.
Bellows says she's running because Mainers are facing threats from the Trump administration, and will have to take action.
"Seniors, veterans and workers are being targeted by Washington D.C. and no one down there is going to save us," she said. "It's time. We the people here in Maine are going to have to step up and protect ourselves and take care of our own."
Bellows has been defender of abortion rights and more recently has talked about the dangers President Donald Trump presents to American democracy. In 2023, she attempted to disqualify him from the Maine presidential ballot based on his conduct before and during the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.
She is one of several Democrats expected to run next year. Former Senate President Troy Jackson recently announced that he's exploring a bid for the Blaine House.
