Republicans bash Maine secretary of state for Trump ballot decision
December 28, 2023
Republicans on Thursday night slammed the Maine secretary of state’s decision to bar Donald Trump from the GOP primary ballot as “an attack on democracy” and called for the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule it.
Maine became the second state to declare the former president ineligible to serve as president due to his involvement in the attack on Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, following a similar ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court last week.
“Maine voters should decide who wins the election – not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature,” Maine Sen. Susan Collins wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The Secretary of State’s decision would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, and it should be overturned.”
“Another day, another illegal and corrupt act by the desperate radical Democrats weaponizing government against President Trump, Joe Biden’s top political opponent,” House GOP chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, a long-time Trump ally, said in a statement.
“This is election interference, voter suppression, and a blatant attack on democracy,” she continued, calling for the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.
In a social media post, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina described the decision as an “egregious abuse of power,” writing that he planned to introduce legislation to “stop these partisan officials and ensure any constitutional challenge is only decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Maine’s secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, is a Democrat. In Maine, state law requires the secretary of state to adjudicate challenges to candidates’ eligibility, such as those brought against Trump by residents of the state. Bellows’ decision may be appealed through the state judiciary.
“Democrats love ‘Democracy™️’ so much that they will do ANYTHING to stop the voters from voting for their opponent,” said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, in a post to X.
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall wrote that “Nothing says ‘protect Democracy’ quite like barring the current leader in every nationwide poll.”
“The irony is that every state that continues to try this only makes President Trump stronger,” Marshall added.
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn also jumped in to declare that she would “stand with President Trump, calling the decision “un-American” and a “complete attack on democracy.”
Source: https://www.politico.com/
