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Shenna Bellows
2021 - Present
2027
4
Shenna Bellows (Democratic Party) is the Maine Secretary of State. She assumed office on January 4, 2021. Her current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Bellows (Democratic Party) is running for election for Governor of Maine. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Bellows did not take the oath for another term as a state senator after being chosen as secretary of state by the Maine State Legislature on December 2, 2020.[1][2]
Biography
Shenna Bellows lives in Manchester, Maine.[3] Bellows graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1993. She earned a B.A. in international politics and economics from Middlebury College in 1997. Bellows' career experience includes working as the executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, the president and owner of Bellows & Company, and the interim executive director of LearningWorks.[4]
Political career
Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.
Bellows' political career includes the following offices:
- 2021-present: Maine Secretary of State
- 2016-2020: Maine State Senate District 14
Elections
2026
See also: Maine gubernatorial election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Governor of Maine
The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of Maine on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Shenna Bellows (D) | |
 | Jason Cherry (D) | |
 | Kenneth Forrest Pinet (D) | |
 | Troy Dale Jackson (D) | |
 | Angus King III (D) | |
 | Hannah Pingree (D) | |
| Ken A. Capron (R) | ||
| Bobby Charles (R) | ||
| David Jones (R) | ||
 | James Libby (R) | |
| Owen McCarthy (R) | ||
| Ben Midgley (R) | ||
 | Steven Sheppard (R)  | |
 | Robert J. Wessels (R) | |
 | Richard Bennett (Independent) | |
 | John Glowa (Independent) | |
 | Alexander Murchison (Independent) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Maria Aguilo (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2020
See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Maine State Senate District 14
Incumbent Shenna Bellows defeated Mark Walker in the general election for Maine State Senate District 14 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shenna Bellows (D) | 56.1 | 12,998 |
| Mark Walker (R) | 43.9 | 10,189 | ||
| Total votes: 23,187 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for Maine State Senate District 14
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Shenna Bellows in round 1 .
|
Total votes: 4,716 |
|||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican Primary for Maine State Senate District 14
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Mark Walker in round 1 .
|
Total votes: 2,743 |
|||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2018
- See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Maine State Senate District 14
Incumbent Shenna Bellows defeated Matthew Stone in the general election for Maine State Senate District 14 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shenna Bellows (D) | 57.9 | 10,790 |
 | Matthew Stone (R) | 42.1 | 7,850 | |
| Total votes: 18,640 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maine State Senate District 14
Incumbent Shenna Bellows advanced from the Democratic primary for Maine State Senate District 14 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shenna Bellows | 100.0 | 3,796 |
| Total votes: 3,796 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maine State Senate District 14
Matthew Stone advanced from the Republican primary for Maine State Senate District 14 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matthew Stone | 100.0 | 2,769 |
| Total votes: 2,769 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2016.[5] Incumbent Earle McCormick (R) did not seek re-election.
Shenna Bellows defeated Bryan Cutchen and Joseph Pietroski in the Maine State Senate District 14 general election.[6]
| Maine State Senate, District 14 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Shenna Bellows |
44.80% | 9,816 | |
| Republican | Bryan Cutchen | 36.89% | 8,082 | |
| Independent | Joseph Pietroski | 18.31% | 4,012 | |
| Total Votes | 21,910 | |||
| Source: Maine Secretary of State | ||||
Shenna Bellows defeated Terry Berry in the Maine State Senate District 14 Democratic primary.[7][8]
| Maine State Senate, District 14 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Shenna Bellows |
81.74% | 1,947 | |
| Democratic | Terry Berry | 18.26% | 435 | |
| Total Votes | 2,382 | |||
Bryan Cutchen defeated Maureen Blanchard in the Maine State Senate District 14 Republican primary.[7][8]
| Maine State Senate, District 14 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bryan Cutchen |
58.91% | 853 | |
| Republican | Maureen Blanchard | 41.09% | 595 | |
| Total Votes | 1,448 | |||
2014
Bellows ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. Senate, representing Maine.[9] Bellows ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 10, 2014. Bellows was defeated by Susan Collins (R).
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Susan Collins Incumbent |
67% | 413,505 | |
| Democratic | Shenna Bellows | 30.8% | 190,254 | |
| Other | Other | 0% | 269 | |
| Blank | None | 2.1% | 12,968 | |
| Total Votes | 616,996 | |||
| Source: Maine Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Shenna Bellows has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Shenna Bellows asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Shenna Bellows, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
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You can ask Shenna Bellows to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@bellowsformaine.com.
2020
Shenna Bellows did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
U.S. Supreme Court rules that Trump cannot be barred from Maine's presidential primary ballot under the 14th Amendment (2024)
On March 4, 2024, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Maine could not remove Donald Trump (R) from its presidential primary ballot. The Court wrote, "responsibility for enforcing Section 3 [of the 14th Amendment] against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress and not the States." The opinion said that 14th Amendment enforcement in federal elections was not specifically delegated to the states and that "an evolving electoral map could dramatically change the behavior of voters, parties, and States across the country, in different ways and at different times. The disruption would be all the more acute—and could nullify the votes of millions and change the election result—if Section 3 enforcement were attempted after the Nation has voted. Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos—arriving at any time or different times, up to and perhaps beyond the Inauguration."[10]
On December 28, 2023, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled that Trump did not qualify for the state's primary ballot. Bellows said that Trump did not qualify for the state's ballot based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which "prohibits people who have taken an oath 'to support' the U.S. Constitution from holding office if they have 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same,' or have 'given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.'"[11] Bellows wrote: "'I am mindful that no secretary of state has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.'"[11] Lawyers for Trump argued that Maine's secretary of state "lacked the authority to exclude him from the ballot."[11] On January 17, 2024, Judge Michaela Murphy of the Kennebec County Superior Court ruled that Bellows' decision should remain on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling on whether Trump could be removed from the Colorado presidential ballot.[12]
Bellows' decision followed the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that Trump was ineligible to appear on that state's primary ballot on December 19, 2023.[13] The Colorado Supreme Court was the first court in the country to determine that the 14th Amendment's disqualification clause applied to Trump. After Maine's ruling, Illinois also issued a ruling barring Trump from the state's ballot under the 14th Amendment.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bellows and her husband, Brandon Baldwin, reside in Manchester, Maine.
Ballot measure activity
The following table details Bellows' ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure support and opposition for Shenna Bellows | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Status |
| Maine Question 6, Require Indian Treaty Obligations and Other Constitutional Provisions Included in Official Printing Amendment (2023) | 2023 | Supported[14] |  Approved
|
| Maine Question 8, Repeal Constitutional Provision Prohibiting Voting for Individuals Under Guardianship Due to Mental Illness Amendment (2023) | 2023 | Supported[15] |  Defeated
|
State legislative tenure
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Bellows was assigned to the following committees:
- Judiciary Committee
- Labor and Housing Committee (decommissioned), Chair
- Conduct and Ethics Committee, Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Maine committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Maine scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 3 to April 17.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 7 to March 30.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 5 to May 9.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 2 to March 30.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 17.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 5 through June 19.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 3 to May 2. The legislature held a special session from June 19 to September 13.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 7 through July 4. The legislature reconvened on July 20. The legislature held a veto session on August 2. The legislature held its first special session on October 23. The legislature held its second special session on November 6.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 6 through April 20. A one-day veto session was held on April 29.
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See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Governor of Maine |
Officeholder Maine Secretary of State |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Central Maine, "Special election set for Winthrop-area state Senate seat, left vacant by new secretary of state," December 16, 2020
- ↑ League of Women Voters of Maine, "Action Under the Dome for Monday, December 14," December 14, 2020
- ↑ Maine Department of the Secretary of the State, "Honorable Shenna Bellows Maine's 50th Secretary of State," accessed May 17, 2021
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Shenna Bellows," accessed May 17, 2021
- ↑ Politics1.com, "Maine," archived December 31, 2015
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "2016 Election Results," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Maine Secretary of State, "List of Candidates who have filed for the June 14, 2016 Primary Election," accessed March 20, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Maine Secretary of State, "Tabulations for Primary Elections held on June 14, 2016," accessed August 11, 2016
- ↑ Downeast to DC, "Susan Collins’ Democratic Senate Challenger May Be ACLU’s Shenna Bellows," accessed September 27, 2013
- ↑ Supreme Court, "Trump v. Anderson," accessed March 4, 2024
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 The New York Times, "Maine Joins Colorado in Finding Trump Ineligible for Primary Ballot," December 28, 2023
- ↑ CBS News, "Maine court pauses order that excluded Trump from primary ballot, pending Supreme Court ruling," January 17, 2024
- ↑ The New York Times, "Trump Is Disqualified From 2024 Ballot, Colorado Court Says in Explosive Ruling," December 19, 2023
- ↑ Spectrum News, "Portland Press Herald: Gov. Mills, lawmakers clash over printing tribal treaty language in Maine Constitution," March 8, 2023
- ↑ Maine State Legislature, "Testimony of Shenna Bellows, Secretary of State," April 26, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Matthew Dunlap (D) |
Maine Secretary of State 2021-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Maine State Senate District 14 2016-2020 |
Succeeded by - |
