After Colorado, Maine is the second US state to ban former President Donald Trump from taking part in his party’s presidential primaries. The reason: the Republican’s role in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Maine has now become the second US state to exclude Donald Trump from the primary election for the Republican candidacy for president. The responsible ministry in Augusta announced this on the short message service X, formerly Twitter.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, whose role also includes elections, concluded in a statement that the former president’s primary election application was “invalid.” According to a constitutional amendment, Trump is “not qualified to be president.” Accordingly, people who have incited an “insurrection” against the constitution are excluded from elections. Trump’s campaign team announced that they would take action against the decision.
Bellows explained that she did not come to this conclusion lightly. However, the events of January 6, 2021 took place “at the behest and with the knowledge and support” of the outgoing president. The Democratic politician said that in the event of a legal challenge, the decision would be suspended.
Donald Trump wants to defend himself against the decision
A spokesman for Trump’s campaign team announced that they would take action against the decision. He described Bellows’ decision, among other things, as an “attempted theft of an election.”
Trump received support from his Republican ranks, including from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – a competitor of Trump in the Republican presidential race. “This opens Pandora’s Box,” DeSantis said.
On December 19, the Supreme Court in Colorado ruled in a sensational decision that Trump should not take part in his party’s presidential primaries in the state because of his role in the storming of the Capitol. This decision also referred to the constitutional amendment, but it is not final. The Colorado court put its ruling on hold until January 4 to allow time for an appeal. The Republicans have now filed an appeal against the judge’s ruling.
Similar procedures in other countries
Proceedings have also been initiated in other states to have Trump excluded from the primaries. This was rejected in Michigan and Minnesota, and the process is still ongoing in Oregon.
Trump is the overwhelming favorite in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and is leading polls by a large margin. The Republican primaries begin on January 15th in the state of Iowa, and the primaries in Maine and Colorado are scheduled for March 5th. The primary election winner will face incumbent Joe Biden of the Democratic Party in the presidential election on November 5, 2024.
Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election. However, Trump refused to acknowledge his defeat and made allegations of massive election fraud, which were often refuted.
The right-wing populist’s crusade against his election defeat resulted in the attack by radical Trump supporters on Congress, where Biden’s election victory was to be finally confirmed on January 6, 2021. Shortly before the attack, Trump had called on his supporters to march to the Capitol and fight “no matter what.”
The 77-year-old former president has now been indicted twice for his attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election and thus stay in power. One of the criminal proceedings was initiated by the federal judiciary, the other by the Georgia state judiciary. The process is likely to begin next year, right in the middle of the election campaign.
