February 14, 2025
Trump poll choice leads Maine lawmaker to name for impeachment of prime state election official

“I’ll observe the Structure and the rule of regulation as directed by the courts,” Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows stated.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s prime election official might face an impeachment try within the state Legislature over her choice to maintain former President Donald Trump off the Republican main poll.

Not less than one Republican lawmaker has vowed to pursue impeachment towards Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows regardless of lengthy odds within the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Bellows stated Friday that she had no touch upon the impeachment effort, however stated she was duty-bound by state regulation to make a willpower on three challenges introduced by registered Maine voters. She reiterated that she suspended her choice pending an anticipated enchantment by Trump in Superior Court docket.

“Underneath Maine regulation, I’ve not solely the authority however the obligation to behave,” she stated. “I’ll observe the Structure and the rule of regulation as directed by the courts,” she added.

Bellows’ choice Thursday adopted a ruling earlier this month by the Colorado Supreme Court docket that eliminated Trump from the poll underneath Part 3 of the 14th Modification. That call is on maintain till the U.S. Supreme Court docket decides whether or not Trump violated the Civil Battle-era provision prohibiting those that “engaged in revolt” from holding workplace.

“In 150 years, no candidate was stored off a poll for participating in an revolt. It’s now occurred twice to Donald Trump within the final two weeks. There will probably be main stress on the Supreme Court docket to supply readability very quickly,” stated Derek Muller, a Notre Dame Regulation Faculty professor and election regulation scholar.

In Maine, state Rep. John Andrews, who sits on the Veterans and Authorized Affairs Committee, known as the choice “hyper-partisanship on full show” as he pressed for an impeachment continuing. He stated he despatched a discover to the state revisor’s workplace for a joint order to set the wheels in movement forward of lawmakers’ return to Augusta subsequent week.

“There’s bipartisan opposition to the intense choice made by the secretary of state. She has clearly overstepped her authority. It stays to be seen if her effort at voter suppression will garner sufficient Democrat assist to take away her from her place,” stated Home Republican chief Billy Bob Faulkingham.

Amongst Maine’s congressional delegation, solely Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who represents the liberal 1st Congressional District, supported Bellows’ conclusion that Trump incited an revolt, justifying his elimination from the March 5 main poll.

U.S. Sen. Angus King, an unbiased who caucuses with Democrats, stated Friday that absent a ultimate judicial willpower on the difficulty of revolt, the choice on whether or not Trump ought to be thought-about for president “ought to relaxation with the individuals as expressed in free and truthful elections.”

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat representing the 2nd Congressional District, agreed that “till (Trump) is discovered responsible of the crime of revolt, he ought to be allowed on the poll.”

Republican Susan Collins, the state’s senior senator, was one in every of handful of Republicans to vote to convict Trump throughout his second impeachment trial, and he or she criticized him for failing to obey his oath of workplace in a ground speech.

However she nonetheless disagreed with Bellows’ choice. “Maine voters ought to determine who wins the election, not a secretary of state chosen by the Legislature,” she stated.

The secretary of state’s choice makes Maine one thing of an outlier in New England. Election officers in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont have stated Trump will probably be on the poll.

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