Maine state Rep. James White (R-Guilford) has filed an objection to the selection of Troy Jackson by party delegates to replace Graham Platner on the ballot. The basis of the challenge is that Jackson previously lost in the primary and, under Maine law, cannot appear twice in the same election. It will be a tough case to make, but he would seemingly be making it to the perfect Secretary of State: Shenna Bellows.
Bellows, who was herself a candidate for the spot, previously adopted a wildly unfounded interpretation to try to block President Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot. In comparison, this demand is modest. Yet, the expectation is that Bellows will go from an unrestrained impressionist to a narrow textualist in this ballot controversy.
I was highly critical of Bellows when she moved to remove Trump from the ballot as an absurd interpretation used to pander to the perpetually irate. A judge in Maine quickly stopped her. The Supreme Court later effectively downsized insurrection claims to a matter of trespass.
Ultimately, all of these challenges, including the ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, were rejected unanimously by the Supreme Court.
Bellows then ran for governor and later the Senate after Platner’s implosion by parading her unconstitutional action as a qualification. Presumably, Bellows will recuse herself given her effort to get the nod from the party to replace Platner.
Rep. White is arguing that, while Maine does not have a “sore loser” provision barring successive appearances on ballots after losing a primary, the state law implicitly created such a barrier for Jackson.
In the letter below, White argues that “The vacancy process exists to fill an unexpected vacancy, not to provide a second opportunity for a candidate who already sought and lost another office during the same election process.”
He is relying on Title 21-A, which bars a person from filing as a candidate for more than one office at any election. Since another provision limits the party committee to filing a vacancy with a “qualified person,” he is arguing that the law constructively bars Jackson.
It is unlikely that White will prevail in the challenge, but Bellows will have to adopt a distinctly more narrow approach to such challenges than she did to bar Trump from the ballot.
In the earlier controversy, Bellows bases her unprecedented action on the conclusion that the riot on January 6th was an actual “insurrection.” Even after losing repeatedly in that interpretation, she continued to maintain the fiction.
The effort to remove Jackson would seem almost trivial in comparison to Bellows’ earlier effort to remove Trump.
Here is the letter:
Really: the mainstream dems don’t need the dsa to be tyrannical psychos; in fact, the notion is hilarious and pathetic, and thankfully most of us have functional memories and see through it.
The entire party is a disingenuous train wreck. Tin foil hat me almost thinks the internal conflict has been manufactured to make ‘mainstream’ dems with the same ideas seem righteous to ignorant people. Perhaps not, but either way, tyranny is tyranny. 🤷🏽♂️
“functional memories and see through it….” You sure of that? Look at the comments below.
“I was highly critical of Bellows when she moved to remove Trump from the ballot as an absurd interpretation used to pander to the perpetually irate. A judge in Maine quickly stopped her. The Supreme Court later effectively downsized insurrection claims to a matter of trespass.”
Thought those should be highlighted. 🙂
You thought wrong. As usual. Lack of education will do that.
Yet another example of not thinking things through – just like the Virginia gerrymander. But if she ignores the state legislator’s request, there seems to be no mechanism to force the issue to be decided. Who has standing to bring a case? Susan Collins? It would look bad for her if she brought a lawsuit, so she would not do that.
The argument is about the Maine Law and the objectivity of it and of those who interpret it.
The Professor is right to be pessimistic about the. outcome of the Legal action and explains exactly what he sees it that way.
As it is the Democrats, and the exact same person who herself did the same thing despite the many Court Rulings that provide Legal Precedent, we know the outcome of that effort by the Republican Candidate to address the issue head on despite the odds being very highly stacked against him.
Of course the Democrat Propaganda arm, the American Media, shall take its usual single sided view of the matter and run interference for the Democrat Candidate and the the Democrat Party.
Welcome to America Today folks!
To the Democrats today the Law means nothing if it goes against their agenda….we have to accept that as proven fact.
This shall be no different.
Each election is always the most important one in a century….this one approaching in November is no different but is far more an important bench mark as we shall unfortunately see it as being the single most important owing to the rapid growth in the level of control the Socialist/Communist Wing has over the Democrat Party.
Unless and until that subversion of the American political, legal, education, and government is ended permanently then sadly the end result of failing is clear and shall be a disaster for the Republic and our Children’s future.
The “domestic enemy” is in clear view of us all. How we protect against it is what determines the future.
What shall it be? What are you doing to prevent such a takeover?
You can start by voting, turning out the vote, and assisting those who stand against the evil being injected into our way of life.
It is best we succeed at the Ballot Box as the other paths to peace and tranquility offers neither until we resolve this threat to our Union and Society.
Many of We the People don’t have faith in our elections, and many have stopped bothering to vote. Can anyone remember a presidential election, when Senators and Members of Congress did not file formal objections in the Electoral College to challenge the election results?
When most of We the People don’t have faith, most will stop bothering to vote. Is that the goal?
Come On Man! Maine has become the ANYTHING GOES state – hey how about a new State Motto? Bah haha – gotta hand it to the Dems as they will do ANYTHING to win! Screw the damn law as it is optional when Dems are running that Outhouse!
“Now it looks like Maine is reading f the California playbook and trying to emulate it”
I think that it might be more accurate to claim that they are becoming a subsidiary of Massachusetts, but the symptoms are nearly identical.
Isn’t Bellows conflicted? She was also a loser in the primary for governor and a candidate in the process to replace Platner, before she withdrew.
I was born in Bangor. Still got family up there, and yeah, most of them lean pretty liberal. But this isn’t really about which way Maine votes. It’s about whether the people voting are actually paying attention. Bellows tried to knock Trump off the ballot with a legal theory the Supreme Court shot down unanimously, then turned around and ran for governor using that same failed stunt as a selling point. That only works if voters have stopped tracking what their own officials actually do. Doesn’t matter how small the political bench is or which party’s running it. If the people watching stay sharp, that kind of move costs you. If they don’t, it becomes a résumé line instead.
“That only works if voters have stopped tracking what their own officials actually do.”
Sadly, that would seem to apply to something approaching a simple majority of voters (those who actually cast ballots) nationwide.
Don, good point. One more thing. A weak candidate slipping through a primary just means one party’s own voters weren’t paying attention. That’s narrow. But when that candidate wins the full statewide race against the other party’s pick, that’s not a party problem anymore. Neither side caught it. That’s the whole floor talking. Ceiling of government competence, floor of citizen capacity. Same rule, just playing out in real time.
Here we go again…. “voters weren’t paying attention.” Ever dawn on you that they know their local politics better than you do (and the pundits who proclaim superior knowledge and insight) who does not live in Maine or New England. You sue do write a heap of hogwash old man.
This is why they are called the “Insincere Left”.
They lose on rationality, fairness, democracy, individual rights (the only kind!).
These Jerry Springer audience types just care about the hair pulling not any of that other stuff.
“actually paying attention.” Now what is that supposed to mean, that they’re stupid and you ain’t? It isn’t as if Trump hasn’t pulled outrageous stunts huh?
Born in Bangor… says it all.
What has happened to Maine, a land of independent-thinking individuals, home of Civil War hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, an American college professor and politician, and the majestic moose? With the exception of practical but careful Senator Susan Collins, this state has begun considering any wild-eyed thinking as serious. Now, the Democrats are duking it out as though the political rutting season has become permanent, women included in the rut.
Makes me wonder too. I am a descendant of a father and son who fought in the Revolution as members of the Maine Militia. Now it looks like Maine is reading f the California playbook and trying to emulate it.
No one gives a hoot about your ancestry RToberts. Stop braaging and stick to the facts.
But Robert won’t mention their names. More geriatric meanderings.
Those are great roots Robert. I appreciate you sharing it. And I echo your concern.
RobertS,
Well said and thank you for sharing about your family history.
Well said? Are you stupid or sumptin. He obviously made up a lie. And, what exactly did he share? He offered no facts. He lied. Like all of you old farts here.
“What has happened to Maine”
Donald Trump received approximately 41.5% of the total popular vote across the six New England states in the 2024 presidential election. Trump improved his performance compared to 2020, securing one electoral vote from Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. The region’s sole Republican member of Congress is Susan Collins of Maine.
In the northeast, there is a fierce competition among leftys for lefty votes and Maine was way behind the southern NE states on ‘capturing’ these coveted lefty voters (migration primarily driven by significantly lower housing costs in ME compared to southern NE.) so the left went way left (all the way to Nationalsozialists). Just to block that 40% of freedom loving Americans living in the heart of the American Revolution. The smaller the state, the easier to gerrymander, conspire, cheat, disenfranchise, etc.