Maine's secretary of state has delivered on everything Democrats have warned about heading into the 2022 midterm elections.

Democrats have frequently warned during the 2022 campaign that a pro-Trump Republican secretary of state could rig the election in their favor. Instead, Democratic Maine Secretary of State Shena Bellows removed former President Donald Trump from the state's ballot based on her interpretation of the 14th Amendment. (Related: Meet the left-wing activist politician who kicked Trump off the Maine ballot)

bellows Banned Quoting Trump's remarks during state primary voting on December 28, 2023 Section 3 of the 14th Amendment Disqualify individuals involved in rebellion from public office.

“So, again, I was very mindful and I said this in my decision, this is unprecedented. “No secretary of state has ever taken the right to vote from a presidential candidate. But no presidential candidate has ever been disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment for insurrection,” she told CNN on the night of the ruling. told.

President Trump has not been charged with or convicted of sedition for his actions leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The former president is appealing the Bellows decision.

“We are witnessing in real time the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of American voters,” said Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chan. statement I mentioned the Bellows decision. “We will swiftly file a legal challenge in state court to prevent this brutal decision in Maine from taking effect, and President Trump will never stop fighting to make America great again. ”

Democrats and their media allies are singing a different tune heading into the 2022 midterm elections, promising democracy if an “election-denying” Trump supporter wins a statewide election and becomes secretary of state. was often predicted to be a threat.

CNN published an article On November 1, 2022, we have listed 12 MAGA Secretary of State candidates running in states across the country. They posed a “major challenge to American democracy” by questioning or contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Tucson, Arizona – November 6: Mark Finchem, Republican candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, speaks at a campaign event on November 6, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

NPR public Similar articles on November 5, 2022, articles with similar content February 2022 story It lists Trump-supporting Secretary of State candidates in Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan and other battleground states.

CNBC investigated wealthy donors funding Republican candidates for secretary of state. new york times There was even an article in October 2022 that explained that Democratic candidates for secretary of state are clearly having a hard time fending off MAGA opponents.

After the 2022 midterm elections, multiple stories It came out It details how Trump-supporting candidates fared poorly in their respective elections.

bellows supported President Joe Biden is sitting in the 2020 presidential election, and is likely to be President Trump's opponent in the 2024 general election. Trump is the frontrunner to win the Republican presidential nomination, according to an average of RealClearPolitics state and national polls.

with the Democratic Party republican party Maine residents opposed Bellows' decision, arguing that voters should decide the outcome of Maine's elections.

Maine voters will have to decide who wins the election, not the secretary of state chosen by Congress.

The Secretary of State's decision denies thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice and should be reversed.

— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) December 29, 2023

On December 19, Colorado became the first state to disqualify Trump from voting under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, with the state Supreme Court ruling in a 4-3 decision. Colorado Republican Party attractive This decision and the Trump campaign Be expected This decision will be appealed to the United States Supreme Court. In the meantime, Trump will remain on the state's ballot.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a left-wing legal group, was behind the legal challenge in Colorado and raised money based on the decision. (Related: There's a direct line between Joe Biden's deep state and Trump being excluded from Colorado's vote)

Other Democratic secretaries of state said: they will keep trump upon their ballot paper Despite their political opposition to his candidacy.

“I take my role as an election administrator seriously, and as an elected official, the Secretary of State is tasked with deciding who can and cannot run in a situation where the law is very ambiguous. I feel very strongly that I shouldn't be involved,” the Democratic Rhode Island secretary of state said. State's Greg Amore on December 29th. boston globe.

Democratic Colorado Secretary of State Jenna Griswold come out to support About keeping Trump off the Colorado ballot.