The Secretary of State for Maine, Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, announced on December 28th the disqualification of Donald Trump from participating as a candidate for the French election. Bellows concluded that Trump instigated an insurrection on January 6th, 2021, by disseminating false allegations concerning voter fraud during and after the 2020 presidential elections.
He subsequently urged his followers to march on the United States Capitol Building, resulting in violent and destructive events. Due to this actions, Maine has become the second state, after Arizona, to eliminate Trump as an eligible candidate.
“The U.S. Constitution does not condone attacks on the fundamental principles of our government,” Bellows asserted in her 34-page ruling. Bellows halted the ruling until a state Superior Court issues a decision, and Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, vowed to immediately appeal what they consider an “outrageous” ruling. Giuliani argues that Trump did not engage in insurrection and that his comments to supporters during the 2021 unrest were safeguarded under his right to free speech as enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows disqualified Trump from the presidential primary ballot after three former lawmakers – Kimberley Rosen, Thomas Saviello, and Ethan Strimling – cited a constitutional provision to argue he engaged in an insurrection and was thus ineligible to hold office. The decision was welcomed by the trio, who praised Bellows for upholding democracy and the Constitution.
The decision by Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows affects only the state’s March primary election, but it could have implications for Trump’s eligibility in the November general election. The ruling is likely to contribute to pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to provide a nationwide resolution regarding Trump’s constitutional eligibility under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
The conservative majority on the Supreme Court now includes three justices nominated by Trump. Despite being indicted in federal and state cases, Trump has not been charged with insurrection related to the Capitol riot on January 6. He currently leads in the polls as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Colorado previously made history by becoming the first state to declare Trump ineligible and disqualify him from the primary ballot due to his role in inciting insurrection.
Trump has vowed to appeal the Colorado ruling to the Supreme Court and criticized ballot challenges as “undemocratic.” The Colorado Republican Party filed its own Supreme Court appeal on Wednesday. Similar attempts to disqualify Trump in other states have been rejected. The top court in Michigan, a pivotal battleground state in the general election, declined on Wednesday to hear a case seeking to disqualify Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot. Maine is rated as likely Democratic by non-partisan election forecasters, meaning that President Joe Biden is expected to win the state and capture its electoral votes. Despite this, Trump captured one electoral vote from Maine in both the 2016 and 2020 elections due to the state’s unique system that allows it to split its four electoral votes.
In order to become president, a candidate must secure 270 Electoral College votes. Advocacy groups and some opponents of Trump have disputed his eligibility to run for president in various states, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment (enacted after the Civil War to exclude former Confederates from public office). Unlike other states, Maine requires its election officials to review requests for disqualification prior to court consideration.
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