In an unexpected turn of events, Maine has emerged as the second state in the U.S. to bar Donald Trump from its 2024 primary ballot. This startling decision was announced by Shenna Bellows, the Democratic Secretary of State of Maine. Bellows reached this conclusion after determining that Trump, who is currently leading the race for the 2024 Republican nomination, played a pivotal role in inciting an insurrection. This was rooted in his propagation of unfounded claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, culminating in a call for his supporters to march on the Capitol to prevent the certification of the election results.
This pivotal decision was put on hold momentarily as the state's supreme court was set to deliberate on the issue.
The catalyst for this decision was a persuasive argument by a coalition of former Maine legislators. They contended that Trump's actions made him ineligible for office under a specific clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits individuals from holding office if they have engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” after previously pledging allegiance to the nation.
This ruling, subject to appeal in state court, currently affects only the March primary election. However, its ramifications could extend to Trump's eligibility for the November general election.
In a separate but related note, Trump faces indictments in both a federal case and in Georgia for his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. However, charges relating to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, specifically insurrection, have not been brought against him. Despite these legal challenges, he remains a frontrunner in opinion polls for the Republican nomination in 2024.
Earlier, on December 19, Colorado's highest court took the unprecedented step of disqualifying Trump from their state primary ballot, marking him as the first candidate in U.S. history to be deemed ineligible for the presidency due to allegations of engaging in insurrection.
In response, Trump has vehemently pledged to challenge the Colorado decision in the Supreme Court, denouncing these ballot challenges as “undemocratic.” In a parallel move, the Colorado Republican Party launched their own appeal to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
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