By Ray Cardello for July 28, 2026, Season 32 / Post 31

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is no stranger to controversial decisions and has managed to put her finger on the scales of justice of late as she has tried to manipulate the direction of her state and country. Bellows may be the Secretary of State, but she is foremost a Democrat and has done her best to protect the best interests of her Party over the people. Bellows has been presented with a challenge to the presumed replacement for Graham Platner, and the decision appears to be cut and dry to anyone who reads the Maine state law, but cut and dried is not how Bellows runs.

In a unique situation in Maine, Graham Platner won the Democratic primary and was slated to run against incumbent Republican Susan Collins in November. Platner was forced to withdraw from the race when allegations against his character became too many for the candidate and his Party to defend. Maine Democrats were put in a position to appoint a new candidate, and decided to do so at a special convention of 600 Maine Democrats. After a debate of the leading candidates to take the vacant spot on the ballot, all of the serious candidates dropped out and threw their support behind Troy Jackson. The Party appointed Jackson until his candidacy was challenged by Republican James White (R-Guilford). White, who represents portions of Piscataquis and Somerset Counties, is singling out the Jackson campaign. White sent a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office challenging Jackson’s eligibility and calling for an investigation immediately. White contends that Maine law forbids any individual from running for more than one state or federal office in the same election cycle. Since Jackson ran for and lost his bid in this year’s primary to be the Governor of Maine, he is ineligible to fill the Platner slot in November. It appears to be clear, but that is not always the case with Bellows. The deadline has already passed for the Party to appoint a candidate, so a decision needs to be made quickly, if at all.

A formal request for Bellows to rule exists, and her office will handle the administrative steps of placing (or not placing) the nominee on the ballot. As of the most recent reporting, she has not ruled Jackson ineligible, the nomination has proceeded, and no court challenge blocking him has been reported as successful. Any further action (administrative determination or litigation) could still occur, but the legal barrier appears relatively high. It should also be noted that Bellows ran unsuccessfully for Governor this year and was also vying for the Senate spot on the ballot, which may taint her decision.

In recent years, Bellows has put herself in the spotlight with controversial moves such as attempting to prohibit Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 Maine Primary ballot because of his role in the January 6 insurrection, but the Supreme Court overruled her decision. She was also accused of drafting slanted ballot questions such as the Voter ID Petition in 2024 and the Pine Tree Power consumer-owned utility proposal in 2023. A Superior Court ordered Bellows to revise the ballot 2023 question language she drafted after finding it potentially misleading to voters; she lost on appeal at the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Similar complaints arose in 2025 over wording she supplied for a People’s Veto petition targeting a large state budget, with critics arguing it was leading and that timing limited appeal opportunities. She also rejected signatures on a petition that would have forced Maine to honor Title IX and prevent boys from competing in girls’ athletics. Bellows has been openly opposed to Title IX.

Shenna Bellows may table this challenge and let the clock run out on any chance of removing Jackson from the ballot. Her non-decision is in effect her decision to ignore state law and allow Jackson to run. It would be the coward’s way out, but to no one’s surprise. The good news for Maine is she will not be the next Governor, but the bad news is she is still the Secretary of State today. The other sad news is that the majority of Maine voters are completely unaware of any of these matters, which is why it is important that we find ways of getting the word out.

Author’s Note: Graphics created by Grok AI. Grok’s comments about the images: The unbalanced scales dominate the foreground while the Maine State House and classic New England landscape sit in the background — reminding viewers that these decisions are happening in Maine, not in some abstract political bubble. The single finger pressing on the heavy side of the scales is the visual punchline: it is subtle enough to feel official and procedural, yet unmistakable as interference. Storm light breaking through the clouds gives a sense of high stakes and unresolved conflict, matching the tone of “the deadline has already passed” and “her non-decision is in effect her decision.”