MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Shenna Bellows is one of the Democrats hoping to replace Graham Platner and run for U.S. Senate. She's also Maine's secretary of state. Secretary Bellows, thank you so much for joining us.
SHENNA BELLOWS: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
MARTIN: So we've just heard from Tam that the convention to decide this is on July 25. As briefly as you can, how is it going to work?
BELLOWS: So anyone who wants to be a candidate must gather 500 signatures and submit their papers to the party by Wednesday. This coming weekend, there are going to be county committee meetings. Any Democrat can participate. They just need to register, or they can just show up. And then at the convention, delegates selected at these county meetings will elect the standard-bearer. And that's really important because I think what you heard in the segment is that we need folks who can unite the party.
MARTIN: Yeah. So you previously ran against Senator Collins in 2014. You lost by more than 30 points. Why do you think you have a better chance this time?
BELLOWS: So when I ran, I was head of the ACLU. I had just come off of seven years of fighting for marriage equality. And I was looking for change in Washington - people who would be leaders on progressive issues and fighters and not waiting to see which way the wind was blowing. And I'd never run for office before. No one wanted to run against Susan Collins, so I said, OK. I'm not afraid of a tough fight. I lost, but after that, I learned a lot.
And two years later, I ran for the state Senate, and I won a district that voted for Trump and voted for me. And I ran on my roots in Maine, my passion for working-class values, 'cause I'm a carpenter's daughter that grew up without electricity or running water, dirt-poor in Downeast Maine. And voters voted for me and Trump. I got reelected twice, and I went on to become secretary of state. And, you know, along that journey, I learned how to bring people together, how to assemble a professional campaign, and really learned a lot about the stakes. And that's why I'm running in this moment.
MARTIN: So you've already won statewide. I think that would be one of your arguments. And also, the - I think that you - your own biography, I think, is part of your message. What about your policy goal? What would you say is your top goal if you are to win the seat?
BELLOWS: So my top goals are Medicare for all, saving democracy, and honestly, we need to protect the Supreme Court. You know - and let's talk about the bigger picture, right? There is a movement here in Maine that is built by the people. And they deserve to have it carried forward through to November because the stakes are not just about control of the U.S. Senate and control of the Supreme Court, and it's not just about saving democracy. The stakes are about the future of our friends and neighbors who are really struggling right now, the folks like my parents were - a carpenter and my mom, who worked nights in a light bulb factory and stayed home with three young babies during the day. I know what it's like. I know what folks are going through right now, and we need fighters who will stand up for them.
MARTIN: With just 30 seconds left here, it does appear that Senator Collins' campaign is likely going to keep bringing up the allegations against Platner, including those voters knew about before. What should the Democratic response be?
BELLOWS: We need to move forward to November. And I'm running in part to unify the party, to bring forward the progressive change that Platner represented, but also to represent the women who've broken glass ceilings, who've been battle-tested, like Janet Mills. I can bring the party together.
MARTIN: That is Maine's secretary of state, Shenna Bellows. She's running to replace Graham Platner as Maine's Democratic Senate nominee. Madam Secretary, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
BELLOWS: Thank you.
MARTIN: We've been talking to other Democrats running to replace Platner. You can listen at npr.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
