ICYMI: As Trump Calls to Nationalize the Election, Shenna Bellows Leads National Resistance
Shenna Bellows has become the leading voice nationally, and in Maine, in response to Trump’s calls to nationalize the elections.
See coverage highlights below:
The Atlantic:‘The Trust Has Been Absolutely Destroyed’Michael Scherer, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Sarah Fitzpatrick, and Jonathan Lemire, 2/8/26
The trust,” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows told us, “has been absolutely destroyed.” The sentiment is not confined to Democrats. Some state-level Republican election officials, who, like others interviewed for this story, requested anonymity to speak freely, said that federal officials’ activities involving elections have become so unusual that they are starting to question the federal officials’ competency and motives. These state officials wonder whether the feds are trying to do what Trump has accused others of doing: rig an election.
NYTimes: Trump’s Call to ‘Nationalize’ Elections Adds to State Officials’ Alarm
Nick Corasaniti, 2/3/26
“We can’t trust the federal government, and they are now adversaries of the states,” Shenna Bellows, the Democratic secretary of state in Maine and who is a candidate for governor, said in an interview. “They are abusing their power by trying to build this national voter database that is completely outside of the scope of their authority under the Constitution, and they’re afraid to actually engage in dialogue.”
Ms. Bellows, the Maine secretary of state, noted that there was no federal situation room on Election Day last year “for the first time in a long time.” “We were getting reports about bomb threats in New Jersey from public media, rather than the Sit Room, as would have happened in the past,” Ms. Bellows said.
Velshi: Trump Calls for Nationalizing 2026 Elections
Ali Velshi, 2/7/26
“It's unconstitutional. It's unlawful. I sent the President a pocket constitution this week. I used to head the ACLU of Maine. We handed them out to school kids, and clearly, he needs to read it. But he's also terrified of getting his ass kicked in 2026, and he is going to lose when people like me win. I mean, that's what this is really about.”
“He doesn't get to decide. The states are sovereign. The elections are free, safe, and secure because they're run by the states and by local election officials in the counties and municipalities all across this country. In 2024, we saw a record turnout. Maine was number three in the country in turnout, and I think voters do trust the elections, but it is going to depend on people like myself, my Republican and Democratic colleagues across the country, and the people standing up for the Constitution in our voting rights.
