Maine’s chief election official, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, has made a decision that prevents Donald Trump from running for president in the state next year.
This ruling is based on a constitutional insurrection clause and is a result of Mr. Trump’s actions leading up to the US Capitol riot in 2021. Maine now joins Colorado in banning Mr. Trump from the ballot, putting additional pressure on the US Supreme Court to intervene. While Colorado typically leans Democratic, Maine is politically competitive, making it more significant for Mr. Trump, who is currently the Republican frontrunner, to lose.
The Trump campaign has already announced its intention to appeal the ruling in Maine’s courts, but the decision will not take effect until the legal process is completed.
Shortly after Maine’s ruling, California, the most populous state in America, declared that Mr. Trump would still be included on the Republican primary ballot there. Other states, such as Michigan and Minnesota, have also recently dismissed attempts to block Mr. Trump from running as a candidate.
Ultimately, it is likely that the Supreme Court will have the final say on whether Mr. Trump is eligible to run for president, considering a Civil War-era amendment to the US Constitution. Secretary Bellows’ 34-page ruling states that Mr. Trump must be removed from Maine’s Republican primary ballot due to the 14th Amendment, which prohibits individuals who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding federal office.
In her order, Secretary Bellows, a Democrat, highlights that Mr. Trump used a false narrative of election fraud to incite his supporters and direct them to the Capitol, culminating on January 6, 2021. She emphasizes that his occasional calls for peace and support for law enforcement do not absolve him of responsibility.
Secretary Bellows, speaking to BBC News, expressed her commitment to upholding election laws in her state and expressed hope that the Supreme Court would resolve this matter on a national level.
