KSBW
These Maine Democrats could run to replace Platner in Senate race
Bellows is discussed as a possible replacement nominee, with attention to her prior Senate race and state ballot decision.
ElectionsINFORMATIONAL
FORMER CANDIDATE · 2026 · U.S. SENATE · MAINE (D)FORMER CANDIDATE · 2026 · U.S. SENATE · MAINE (D)
Shenna Bellows
Shenna Bellows withdrew from the 2026 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Maine.
Bellows led Maine’s American Civil Liberties Union from 2005 to 2013 and served in the Maine Senate from 2016 to 2020.
Bellows attended Middlebury College. Before elected office, Bellows directed the Maine affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union from 2005 to 2013 and headed a Maine center focused on Holocaust and human-rights education from 2018 to 2020. Bellows ran for the U.S. Senate in Maine in 2014, then served in the Maine Senate from 2016 to 2020. Bellows became Maine secretary of state in 2021. Bellows entered the 2026 primary for U.S. Senate in Maine and withdrew.Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Party
- Democrat
- Ran for
- U.S. Senate · ME (2026)
- Result
- Withdrew
- Raised
- $381K
- Age
- 51
- LAST RAN
- 2026
- RAISED
- $381K
- AGE
- 51
Photo: Shenna Bellows U.S. Senate campaign / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
TAP A TAB FOR CAREER, ELECTION, MONEY & MORE
Shenna Bellows at a glance
NET READER RATING
▼ 7 PTS IN 30 DAYS+11
▲ 70 GOOD LOOK126 VOTES56 BAD LOOK ▼
COVERAGE MIX · 15 STORIES
Click a row to open that column below.SENTIMENT BY TOPIC
NETShenna Bellows’s career and background
PUBLIC SERVICE · 2016 – PRESENT
OFFICE
Maine State Senate 2016–20Secretary of State of Maine 2021–
- 2021 – NOWSecretary of State of Maine
- 2016 – 20Maine State Senate
- BORN
- March 23, 1975 · Greenfield, Massachusetts
- EDUCATION
- Middlebury College
2026 election: Maine Senate
PAST RESULTS
No earlier House or Senate results on record (ChamberLight’s results start in 2018).2026 MAINE SENATE RACE →Shenna Bellows’s campaign fundraising and spending
- RAISED · FULL ELECTION · 2021–26
- $381K
- CASH ON HAND
- $136
- SPENT
- $381K
WHERE THE MONEY CAME FROM
- Individuals
- $381K · 100%
AIPAC · 2025–26
AIPAC TRACKER →HOW WE COUNT →TOP DONORS
Lee, Diana C.Not Employed · NOT EMPLOYED$7K
Janeway, WeslieNot Employed · NOT EMPLOYED$7K
Dohmen, WilliamNot Employed · RETIRED$7K
Dohmen, Ellen L.Not Employed · NOT EMPLOYED$7K
Coleman, LindaNot Employed · RETIRED$7K
Ricci, PaulNot Employed · NOT EMPLOYED$7K
Janeway, WilliamNot Employed · RETIRED$7K
Bartovics, SusanSelf-Employed · FARMER & ENVIRONMENTALIST$6K
Lehman, Jonathan E.The Georgian Press INC. · EXECUTIVE$5K
Wootten, JohnNot Employed · NOT EMPLOYED$4K
Totals by donor name from itemized FEC receipts: individuals and committees that gave over $200.CAMPAIGN SPENDING
Other$307K
Refunds$44K
Advertising$25K
Administrative$10K
Contributions$3K
Coverage
15 STORIES · CLICK A COLUMN TO FOCUS IT ·
No stories in this column yet.
Portland Press Herald
After rocky road with Platner, Jewish Mainers size up the state's progressive left
Bellows faced criticism from Jewish Mainers after publicly describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
Elections56%
townhall.com
Here Are the Two Dems Who Dropped Out of the Contest to Replace Graham Platner in ME Senate Race
Bellows announced that she was leaving the Democratic contest for the Senate nomination.
Elections57%
NBC News
Maine Senate race: Shenna Bellows drops, Troy Jackson builds support – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Bellows ended her campaign for the Democratic Senate nomination and said she would focus on her secretary of state role.
Elections56%
Daily Kos
Me-Sen: Bellows Out
Bellows announced that she was leaving the Senate race to focus on her work as Maine secretary of state.
Elections57%
No stories in this column yet.
KSBW · 4 MIN READ
These Maine Democrats could run to replace Platner in Senate race
Bellows is discussed as a possible replacement nominee, with attention to her prior Senate race and state ballot decision.
ChamberLight is not an official government source. Reader ratings reflect public reception, not editorial judgment.