AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows will keep her job while running for governor in 2026, although she alluded to a plan to step back from certain duties after the campaign picks up next year.
The Democrat from Manchester is the first well-known Maine politician to enter the race to replace the term-limited Gov. Janet Mills, launching her campaign Wednesday with events in her childhood hometown of Hancock and at the Viles Arboretum in the state capital of Augusta.
Bellows, Maine’s top election official, became a divisive figure after her move to initially disqualify President Donald Trump from last year’s primary ballot over his actions leading up to the U.S. Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021. She got national attention for her decision, which was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
After Bellows’ campaign announcement, the Maine Republican Party issued a statement saying “no aspect of the coming election” should be under her authority. She told reporters in Augusta she would remain in her job but that elections work will continue to be led by Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn, who has been in that role since 1999.
“I will continue to fulfill my duties, but I will entrust long-serving, nonpartisan civil servants to also continue to carry out the work of the department,” she said. “2026 starts in 2026, and so we’ll be making plans and sharing those later.”
Bellows’ response echoed an episode from the 2012 campaign in which Republican Secretary of State Charlie Summers was running for U.S. Senate. The progressive Maine People’s Alliance called on him to resign. He refused, citing past examples of secretaries of state running for higher office.
The secretary of state’s entry Wednesday kicked off the public portion of a gubernatorial campaign that has been waged behind the scenes for months. Other Democrats who are considering a run include former Senate President Troy Jackson of Allagash, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District and Hannah Pingree, the head of Mills’ policy office.
