Maineās top election official has removed former President Donald Trump from the stateās 2024 ballot, in a surprise decision based on the 14th Amendmentās āinsurrectionist ban.ā
The risk is what the GOP is threatening to do in Colorado. If Trump isnāt allowed on the public voting infrastructure, theyāll just caucus instead.
They have every right to. Again, because a primary isnāt an election for office, itās a private entity (in this case the GOP) being allowed to borrow public infrastructure to help them decide who they want to back for the actual election.
Same reason super delegates for the Dems werenāt illegal, even if they were in bad faith.
If the state ruled Trump canāt be on the primary ballot because heās ineligible to be president, then he canāt be on the main ballot because heās ineligible to be president. That means no Republican will be on the ballot, and thatās really bad for the Republicans.
Trump missing from the ballot in Colorado and Maine would not make a difference, they donāt vote Republican in the general election anyway.
Youād need this to happen in a vaguely competitive state. Judging from the progress of various attempts, that doesnāt seem likely, unless the supreme Court declared it nationally, but I donāt see that happening even if they let Colorado and Maine stand.
So you have got a bunch of Trump die hards inspired to āfight like hellā in the face of what they describe as an injustice, all to block him in a state he wasnāt going to win anyway.
Now if you pulled this off in some place like Georgia, Florida, Texas, then sure, that would be quite the blow and may persuade the GOP voters to really around some other candidate that would be more tolerable. But Colorado and Maine arenāt going to really help general election results.
They have every right to. Again, because a primary isnāt an election for office, itās a private entity (in this case the GOP) being allowed to borrow public infrastructure to help them decide who they want to back for the actual election.
Same reason super delegates for the Dems werenāt illegal, even if they were in bad faith.
Itās perfectly in their rights, but not what an effort seeking to prevent a Trump candidacy should want.
If the state ruled Trump canāt be on the primary ballot because heās ineligible to be president, then he canāt be on the main ballot because heās ineligible to be president. That means no Republican will be on the ballot, and thatās really bad for the Republicans.
Trump missing from the ballot in Colorado and Maine would not make a difference, they donāt vote Republican in the general election anyway.
Youād need this to happen in a vaguely competitive state. Judging from the progress of various attempts, that doesnāt seem likely, unless the supreme Court declared it nationally, but I donāt see that happening even if they let Colorado and Maine stand.
So you have got a bunch of Trump die hards inspired to āfight like hellā in the face of what they describe as an injustice, all to block him in a state he wasnāt going to win anyway.
Now if you pulled this off in some place like Georgia, Florida, Texas, then sure, that would be quite the blow and may persuade the GOP voters to really around some other candidate that would be more tolerable. But Colorado and Maine arenāt going to really help general election results.