Trump excluded from the Maine primary. He can appeal
Bellows accused Trump, the main Republican presidential candidate in 2024, of inciting the riots that took place in Washington in January 2021. As she recalls, Trump called on his supporters to march to the Capitol building to prevent Congress from confirming the election results.
The Secretary of State suspended her decision until the state Supreme Court decided on the matter.
Unlike other states, Bellows, which oversees Maine's elections, was required to make an initial decision on disqualification before the courts could consider it.
The decision came after a group of former Maine lawmakers argued that Trump should be disqualified under the US Constitution, which prohibits people who engage in “insurrection or rebellion” from taking office after being sworn in by the United States. mentioned.
Trump can appeal in state court Bellows' decision, which applies only to primaries. It previously disqualified him from the Colorado primary. This could increase pressure on the US Supreme Court to rule on whether the former president is eligible nationwide to run for re-election.
For his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election, Trump was charged in a federal and Georgia case. However, he was not charged in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Trump still leads the polls
In the race for the 2024 Republican nomination, Trump leads in the polls by a wide margin. He had already announced that he would appeal the Colorado ruling to the Supreme Court. He criticized the questioning of the vote as “undemocratic”.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court in Michigan, the decisive state in the general elections, refused to hear an appeal to deny Trump the candidacy of running in the presidential elections. Some other countries have also rejected similar attempts to revoke eligibility.
Trump's lawyers dispute allegations regarding his role in the Capitol riot. As they say, his speeches to his supporters are protected by the right to freedom of expression.
“Coffee enthusiast. Troublemaker. Incurable introvert. Subtly charming twitter scholar. Award-winning social mediaholic. Internet buff.”