Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Sunday that she is withdrawing from the race to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.Bellows said she will instead focus exclusively on her responsibilities as secretary of state, citing what she described as “accelerating attacks” on democracy by President Donald Trump.“This has been an unprecedented nominating process, compressed into days instead of months, and I’m grateful to every volunteer who worked around the clock for this movement,” Bellows said in a statement.Her withdrawal comes as former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson’s preferred delegates won the overwhelming majority of available slots during the first day of county meetings Saturday. Delegates from Maine’s remaining counties were being chosen Sunday.The Maine Democratic Party scheduled the county meetings as part of an expedited process to replace Graham Platner, who formally withdrew from the race amid allegations of sexual assault. A total of 601 voting members, including the 500 county delegates, are expected to attend the party’s nominating convention July 25 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. State law requires Democrats to select a replacement nominee by July 27.Bellows did not endorse another candidate in her withdrawal announcement but urged Democrats to unite quickly behind their eventual nominee.“That energy is exactly what we need to beat Susan Collins in November — and Democrats don’t have a day to waste in unifying around that shared goal,” Bellows said.Bellows previously challenged Collins for the U.S. Senate in 2014. Collins, a Republican seeking a sixth term, was unopposed in this year’s primary. Maine’s race is expected to play a significant role in the national battle for control of the Senate.Maine’s Total Coverage has a list of candidates that are still running for the Democratic Party’s nomination here.

AUGUSTA, Maine —

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Sunday that she is withdrawing from the race to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

Bellows said she will instead focus exclusively on her responsibilities as secretary of state, citing what she described as “accelerating attacks” on democracy by President Donald Trump.

“This has been an unprecedented nominating process, compressed into days instead of months, and I’m grateful to every volunteer who worked around the clock for this movement,” Bellows said in a statement.

Her withdrawal comes as former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson’s preferred delegates won the overwhelming majority of available slots during the first day of county meetings Saturday. Delegates from Maine’s remaining counties were being chosen Sunday.

The Maine Democratic Party scheduled the county meetings as part of an expedited process to replace Graham Platner, who formally withdrew from the race amid allegations of sexual assault.

A total of 601 voting members, including the 500 county delegates, are expected to attend the party’s nominating convention July 25 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. State law requires Democrats to select a replacement nominee by July 27.

Bellows did not endorse another candidate in her withdrawal announcement but urged Democrats to unite quickly behind their eventual nominee.

“That energy is exactly what we need to beat Susan Collins in November — and Democrats don’t have a day to waste in unifying around that shared goal,” Bellows said.

Bellows previously challenged Collins for the U.S. Senate in 2014. Collins, a Republican seeking a sixth term, was unopposed in this year’s primary. Maine’s race is expected to play a significant role in the national battle for control of the Senate.

Maine’s Total Coverage has a list of candidates that are still running for the Democratic Party’s nomination here.