More US states remove Trump from primary ballot

Maine's secretary of state has removed Mr Trump from the ballot in next year's primary, following a similar move by Colorado.

Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State and Democratic Party member, concluded on December 28 that Donald Trump incited insurrection by spreading false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, calling on supporters to march to Capitol Hill to prevent lawmakers from certifying the election results.

"The events of January 6, 2021 were unprecedented and deeply saddening. It was an attack not only on Capitol Hill and government officials, but also on the rule of law. The evidence shows that the attack was carried out at the direction of the outgoing president. He knew it and supported it. The United States Constitution does not tolerate an attack on the foundations of government," said Secretary General Bellows.

Accordingly, Bellows, the top election official in the state of Maine, decided to remove Mr. Trump's name from the ballot in the primary election in this state next year due to "ineligibility".

Mr. Trump is likely to appeal to the state Supreme Court, and Secretary of State Bellows also delayed the decision until the court issues a ruling.

Former US President Donald Trump at a New York court on December 7. Photo: AFP — Former US President Donald Trump at a New York court on December 7. Photo: *AFP*

The decision came after a group of Maine lawmakers argued that Mr Trump should be disqualified from the ballot, based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which prohibits public officials from holding government positions if they have participated in "insurrection or rebellion".

The decision only applies to the Republican primary in March 2024, but it could affect Mr. Trump’s standing in the November 2024 White House race and put more pressure on the US Supreme Court to resolve questions about the former president’s eligibility nationwide.

Mr Trump has been charged federally and in Georgia with attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, but not with the Capitol riot. The former president currently leads the polls by a wide margin in the race for the Republican nomination.

The Colorado Supreme Court last week removed Mr Trump from the state's primary ballot, making him the first candidate in US history to be disqualified from running for president for participating in a riot. Mr Trump said he would appeal to the Supreme Court and criticized Colorado's move as "undemocratic".

The Colorado Republican Party has also filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, with the justices likely to decide whether to take up the case early next year.

Similar efforts to remove Mr. Trump from the primary ballot in several other states have been rejected. The Supreme Court of Michigan, a battleground state in the general election, on December 27 declined to take up a challenge to Mr. Trump’s eligibility to run.

Maine is considered a Democratic-leaning state, meaning President Joe Biden is expected to win here, regardless of who the Republican candidate is. However, Mr. Trump won one electoral vote from Maine in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, because the state does not apply the "winner-take-all" principle for all four electoral votes.

In the US presidential election, a candidate must win at least 270 electoral votes to be elected.

Huyen Le (According to Reuters , AFP, Hill )

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