(NewsNation) — Maine's secretary of state says her decision to bar former President Donald Trump from the ballot has resulted in death threats to her family and staff, and she says people are missing the fact that she's already asked the state Superior Court to review her decision.
Maine became the second state to remove Trump from the primary ballot, invoking the constitutional insurrection clause. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, the official behind the decision, faced a barrage of threats and criticism in the aftermath.
In an interview on “NewsNation Prime,” Bellows insists she's following Maine law. After Trump submitted his signatures, five registered Maine voters, including two former Republican state senators, challenged his qualifications.
Bellows says she was obligated to conduct an administrative hearing, allowing both sides to present exhibits, testimony, and witnesses before issuing a ruling in accordance with election law and her oath to the Constitution.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung labeled Bellows a "virulent leftist" and a "hyper-partisan Biden supporting Democrat."
“My sole obligation and responsibility in this matter is to the Constitution, and to the record, put forward at the hearing. My political affiliation and my personal views on the events of January 6, 2021, played no role in my decision,” she said.
The fallout for Bellows and her staff has been severe. She says they've received hundreds of threatening communications, and she said her home was swatted on Friday.
Bellows urged a return to civility and respect in political discourse.
“As a nation, let us resolve to restore our commitment to civility and respect, to an understanding that you can agree to disagree without violence or threats and that we have due process and the law,” Bellows said.
She expressed shock that people in her extended family were targeted, and her staff endured a day of ugly, angry, and threatening communications.
“I delayed the effect of my decision pending an appeal to the Superior Court because that is the appropriate venue for Mr. Trump to advance his concerns and protest my ruling,” she said.
Trump's primary opponents are all standing up for him in Maine as they did in Colorado. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy told NewsNation he would remove himself from every ballot Trump is barred from.
“Nobody should face threats of violence in this country," Ramaswamy said on "NewsNation Prime" Saturday. "But we should have vigorous debate. She deserves to answer to the people. What is the constitutional basis for her to choose who runs this country? That's not the job of the secretary of state.”
Bellows now faces an impeachment attempt in the state Legislature over her decision.
At least one Republican lawmaker has vowed to pursue impeachment despite long odds in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.