Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Tuesday that President Donald Trump's call for a federal takeover of elections is blatantly unconstitutional, but a threat that should be taken seriously given moves his administration has already made.
Bellows, a Democrat who is also running for governor, says the president's comments on a right-wing podcast about commandeering elections in 15 unnamed states fit a troubling pattern. That includes an effort by the Department of Justice to obtain states' private voter data, which Bellows' office is fighting alongside Oregon in federal court.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon also pushed back after receiving a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi suggesting the immigration surge there would end if officials complied with the DOJ, a request he described as "apparent ransom."
Bellows said those moves, along with the FBI's recent raid of election offices in Fulton County Georgia, suggest Trump is trying to preempt voter backlash to his policies in coming elections.
"The president fears big losses in the 2026 and 2028 and is trying to set the stage for federal interference in our elections," she said.
Under the Constitution, states govern American elections. But Trump has frequently made unsubstantiated claims that Democrats exploit the decentralized system to rig outcomes.
Bellows said the Constitution viewed state-run elections as a safeguard against tyranny.
Trump's comments about a federal takeover of elections came during a lengthy appearance on the podcast hosted by his former FBI director Dan Bongino. He said Republicans should take over voting in 15 states, but did not name them.
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” he said. “We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
His remarks follow Trump's thus far unsuccessful efforts to unilaterally make changes to election laws, including requiring proof of citizenship at the polls. The courts have thus far blocked such efforts.
