Shenna Bellows, Maine's secretary of state who publicly sparred with Donald Trump, announced Wednesday that she is running for governor.
The Democrat made the announcement Wednesday morning in her hometown of Hancock, according to News Center Maine.
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"I believe now more than ever we need a new day in America. That begins with new leadership. And I'm proud and humbled to announce that today I announced my run for governor for the great state of Maine," Bellows said.
Bellows has been Maine's secretary of state since 2021. She is the first woman to serve in the office. She previously served as a state senator and was the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine.
She ran an unsuccessful campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2014.
Following her announcement Wednesday, members of the Maine GOP issued a statement calling on Bellows to step down as secretary of state, saying she should not oversee elections where she is on the ballot. But she said she will not step down, citing former Republican Secretary of State Charlie Summer, who continued to hold the office while running for a higher office, relying on deputies to uphold election integrity.
Bellows drew Trump's ire in 2023, ruling that his primary petition was invalid under an insurrection clause, removing him from the Maine ballot for the presidential primary. Her decision was ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
