Shenna Bellows Enters Maine Senate Race, Upending Susan Collins’ 6th-Term Playbook
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 9
Shenna Bellows Enters Maine Senate Race, Upending Susan Collins’ 6th-Term Playbook
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 9
Summary
Shenna Bellows officially entered Maine’s Senate race, giving Democrats a new contender after Graham Platner’s withdrawal and forcing Susan Collins’ campaign to rework its strategy.
Late-June polling had shown Collins and Platner in an extremely close race, but Republicans had viewed Platner as especially vulnerable because of personal controversies that could blunt Collins’ challenge as a Republican in the Trump era.
July 27 is the deadline for Democrats to declare a nominee, and Maine Democrats on Wednesday approved tentative plans for a nominating convention as the party scrambles to settle on a replacement.
Republicans are already trying to tie any new Democrat to Platner, who denied a sexual-assault accusation, while national Democrats and funding groups are refocusing on Collins and portraying her as newly vulnerable.