Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday disqualified Donald Trump from the state’s primary in a closely-watched decision that makes Maine the second state where the former president has been kicked off the ballot.
Bellows’ decision comes after Trump lawyers on Wednesday argued that the secretary of state should recuse herself from the matter because of several tweets she posted about Jan. 6, including one in which she called the day’s events a violent insurrection. Bellows’ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on that argument from the Trump’s attorneys.
Bellows found Trump ineligible under the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding office. Trump engaged in insurrection when he incited people to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, plaintiffs in the cases argued.
He bellows his decision.
“I conclude… that the record establishes that Mr. Trump, over the course of several months and culminating on January 6, 2021, used a false narrative of election fraud to inflame his supporters and direct them to the Capitol to prevent certification of the 2020 election and the peaceful transfer of power,” she wrote. “I likewise conclude that Mr. Trump was aware of the likelihood for violence and at least initially supported its use given he both encouraged it with incendiary rhetoric and took no timely action to stop it.”
“I do not reach this conclusion lightly. Democracy is sacred… I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” Bellows added. “I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection. The oath I swore to uphold the Constitution comes first above all, and my duty under Maine’s election laws, when presented with a Section 336 challenge, is to ensure that candidates who appear on the primary ballot are qualified for the office they seek.”
Bellows’ ruling can be appealed to the state’s Superior Court, whose ruling can then be appealed to the court. After the resolution, Trump’s crusade would be appealable.
The secretary of state’s resolution comes as Trump’s eligibility to run as the Republican nominee in 2024 is being questioned lately in more than a dozen states.
Questions about Trump’s ability to run for office have been rejected in some states. Last week, however, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the former president was ineligible to run in that state’s primary, in a landmark ruling that delayed Bellows’ ruling on the factor in Maine. The Colorado Republican Party appealed the ruling to the U. S. Supreme Court.
In Maine, former Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling, Democrat and former Republican Senator Kimberley Rosen and Thomas Saviello questioned Trump’s eligibility to run under the provisions of the 14th Amendment.
In a separate filing, Paul Gordon, a Portland resident and attorney, argued that Trump was ineligible for president under term limits imposed by the 22nd Amendment because the former president claimed he won the 2020 election. Bellows rejected the 22nd Amendment challenge.
The case in Maine and the challenges across the country come as the Republican presidential primary is set to get underway next month, with the Iowa caucus kicking things off on Jan. 15. Maine’s presidential primary will be held March 5, when a total of 16 states will vote.
Despite facing a plethora of legal challenges, Trump remains the heavy favorite to once again emerge as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.
This article was previously published through the Maine Morning Star, a partner of the nonprofit network States Newsroom, which includes the Florida Phoenix.
by Evan Popp, Florida Phoenix December 28, 2023
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday disqualified Donald Trump from the state’s primary in a closely watched ruling that makes Maine the state where the former president has been driven from the polls.
Bellows’ decision comes after Trump lawyers on Wednesday argued that the secretary of state should recuse herself from the matter because of several tweets she posted about Jan. 6, including one in which she called the day’s events a violent insurrection. Bellows’ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on that argument from the Trump’s attorneys.
Bellows declared Trump ineligible under the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and then “participated in an insurrection or rebellion” from holding office. Trump participated in the insurrection when he incited others to attack the Capitol on Jan. 1. December 6, 2021, the plaintiffs argued in those instances.
He bellows his decision.
“I conclude… that the record establishes that Mr. Trump, over the course of several months and culminating on January 6, 2021, used a false narrative of election fraud to inflame his supporters and direct them to the Capitol to prevent certification of the 2020 election and the peaceful transfer of power,” she wrote. “I likewise conclude that Mr. Trump was aware of the likelihood for violence and at least initially supported its use given he both encouraged it with incendiary rhetoric and took no timely action to stop it.”
“I don’t come to this conclusion lightly. Democracy is sacred. . . I am aware that no secretary of state has ever denied a presidential candidate to go to the polls on the basis of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” Bellows added. , I am also aware that no presidential candidate has ever participated in an insurrection. The oath I took to uphold the Constitution comes first, and my duty under Maine election laws, when faced with a challenge under Section 336, is to make sure that the applicants who appear in the number one survey are qualified for the job they seek.
Bellows’ ruling can be appealed to the state’s Superior Court, whose ruling can then be appealed to the court. After the resolution, Trump’s crusade would be appealable.
The secretary of state’s ruling comes as Trump’s eligibility to appear on the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot is currently being challenged in more than a dozen states.
Questions about Trump’s ability to run for office have been rejected in some states. Last week, however, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the former president was ineligible to run in that state’s primary, in a landmark ruling that delayed Bellows’ ruling on the factor in Maine. The Colorado Republican Party appealed the ruling to the U. S. Supreme Court.
In Maine, former Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling, a Democrat, and former Republican state Sens. Kimberley Rosen and Thomas Saviello challenged Trump’s election eligibility under the stipulations of the 14th Amendment.
In a separate filing, Paul Gordon, a Portland resident and attorney, argued that Trump was ineligible for president under term limits imposed by the 22nd Amendment because the former president claimed he won the 2020 election. Bellows rejected the 22nd Amendment challenge.
The case in Maine and demanding situations across the country come as the first Republican presidential election begins next month, and Iowa caucuses begin Jan. 15. Maine’s first presidential election will be held on March 5, with a total of 16 states voting.
Despite a slew of legal challenges, Trump remains the overwhelming favorite to return to being the GOP’s presidential nominee.
This article was previously published through the Maine Morning Star, a partner of the nonprofit network States Newsroom, which includes the Florida Phoenix.
Florida Phoenix belongs to States Newsroom, a network of grant-backed news bureaus and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains its editorial independence. Please contact Editor Diane Rado if you have any questions: info@floridaphoenix. com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
Evan Popp studied journalism in Ithaca College. Me joined the Maine Morning Star after 3 years at the Maine Beacon writing about state politics. Prior to that, she worked for the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper and interned at Progressive magazine, ThinkProgress, and the Committee. of Journalists for Press Freedom.
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