Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, left, speaks to the press in Augusta, Me.
AP Photo/Patrick Whittle
Maine Sec. of State Shenna Bellows is facing threats after her decision to boot Trump from the state’s ballot.”My safety and security is important,” she told CNN. “So is the safety and security of everyone who works with me.”Trump’s presidential campaign has blasted Bellows and his GOP allies have also been critical of her.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Friday said that she and her staff have received “truly unacceptable” threats after she barred former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 primary ballot.
“I was prepared for the possibility of threats, and I really appreciate law enforcement and the people around me who have been incredibly supportive of my safety and security,” Bellows told CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins during an interview.
“My safety and security is important,” she continued. “So is the safety and security of everyone who works with me and we have received threatening communications. Those are unacceptable.”
Bellows, a Democrat, then said she would continue to adhere to the Constitution in the wake of criticism she’s received from Trump and his GOP allies for booting him from the ballot.
“We are a nation of laws, and that’s what’s really important,” she told Collins. “So I have been laser-focused on that obligation to uphold the Constitution.”
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says she’s gotten threats after making her decision to remove Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot. “I certainly worry about the safety of people I love, people around me, & those charged with protecting me.” pic.twitter.com/wP8i9DuSCw
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 29, 2023
Bellows on Thursday ruled that Trump is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot due to his conduct before and during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, with the secretary of state citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in her 34-page decision.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that any individual who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the US Constitution cannot hold office. The section was also cited by the Colorado Supreme Court in their recent 4-3 decision to remove Trump from that state’s GOP primary ballot.
Trump’s presidential campaign has slammed Bellows as a “virulent leftist” and has vowed to appeal the decision.
“Make no mistake, these partisan election interference efforts are a hostile assault on American democracy,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York in a statement described Bellows’ decision to remove Trump from the ballot as “unconstitutional and illegal.”
The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday asked the US Supreme Court to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision barring Trump from the state’s ballot.
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie, who’s been highly critical of his onetime ally on the campaign trail, also criticized Bellows’ decision on Friday, arguing that voters should be the ones to decide the former president’s political fate.