- Republican political figures ripped Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows of Maine Thursday for blocking former President Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican primary ballot.
- Bellows claimed the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection” clause made Trump ineligible.
- “The system is hellbent on taking this man out,” Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said.
Republican political figures blasted Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows for barring former President Donald Trump from Maine’s 2024 Republican primary ballot.
Bellows ruled Trump was ineligible for the office of President of the United States Thursday evening, citing the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection” clause. The Colorado Supreme Court declared Trump was disqualified from appearing on the ballot in the 2024 Republican primary election in that state in a 4-3 decision.
“We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement released Thursday.
“Democrats in blue states are recklessly and un-Constitutionally suspending the civil rights of the American voters by attempting to summarily remove President Trump’s name from the ballot,” Cheung continued. “Make no mistake, these partisan election interference efforts are a hostile assault on American democracy. Biden and the Democrats simply do not trust the American voter in a free and fair election and are now relying on the force of government institutions to protect their grip on power.”
Current and former presidential candidates also blasted Bellows over the decision.
This is what an *actual* threat to democracy looks like. The system is hellbent on taking this man out, the Constitution be damned.
I stand by my prior pledge to *withdraw* from any state’s ballot that ultimately removes Trump from its ballot. I call on DeSantis, Christie, and… https://t.co/ucpTI7o86K— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 29, 2023
“This is what an *actual* threat to democracy looks like. The system is hellbent on taking this man out, the Constitution be damned,” Vivek Ramaswamy posted on X. “I stand by my prior pledge to *withdraw* from any state’s ballot that ultimately removes Trump from its ballot. I call on DeSantis, Christie, and Haley to do the same – or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal and brazen election interference in the GOP primary.”
“It’s outrageous and going to set the country on fire if the Supreme Court does not overturn these elections – these decisions,” Larry Elder, a former Republican presidential candidate, said during a Thursday appearance on “The Ingraham Angle.”
WATCH:
Trump’s closest competitor, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, also blasted Maine’s secretary of State.
“That turns on its head every notion of constitutional due process that this country has always abided by for over 200 years,” DeSantis told “Ingraham Angle” guest host Jason Chaffetz, a former Republican congressman from Utah. “It opens up Pandora’s box.”
WATCH:
Republican members of Congress also ripped the decision.
“Democrats love ‘Democracy™️’ so much that they will do ANYTHING to stop the voters from voting for their opponent,” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas posted. “#UtterHypocrites”
“You can’t just toss someone off the ballot because you’re afraid they will win!” Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana said in a post on X. “We are not a Banana Republic!”
Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas delivered a historical perspective on Maine blocking Trump from the ballot.
Since everyone is talking about the civil war, let’s talk about Maine…
The most recent example of Democrats acting to remove a candidate for President from the ballot.
The last time this happened? The civil war.
The last party who did it? The Democrats.
The party doing…
— Wesley Hunt (@WesleyHuntTX) December 29, 2023
“Since everyone is talking about the civil war, let’s talk about Maine…” Hunt posted. “The most recent example of Democrats acting to remove a candidate for President from the ballot. The last time this happened? The civil war. The last party who did it? The Democrats. The party doing it again? The Democrats.”
“Donald J. Trump is the biggest threat to the matrix in American history, and that’s why they’ll do whatever it takes to stop him,” Hunt continued. “Democrats destroying democracy to protect it. The jokes write themselves.”
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York also blasted the ruling in a social media post.
“This is election interference, voter suppression, and a blatant attack on democracy,” she said in her statement.
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