Maine secretary of state to take Trump’s name off 2024 primary ballot

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Former President Donald Trump’s campaign to return to the White House got more complicated on Friday as a second state kicked the Republican Party frontrunner off its 2024 primary ballot. Maine’s secretary of state declared the former president ineligible to run for re-election based on her interpretation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment bans anyone engaged in insurrection from holding elected office.

How did the Maine official justify this decision? Secretary of State Shenna Bellows concluded that Trump’s activities on January 6, 2021, amounted to insurrection. The former president has denied any wrongdoing. Bellows’ decision comes after Colorado disqualified Trump earlier this month based on the same argument. But Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said yesterday that Trump’s name would remain on that state’s ballots while the Colorado Republican Party appeals the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Griswold urged the justices to rule quickly. The state’s primary election is scheduled for March 5.

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Lynde Langdon

Lynde is WORLD’s executive editor for news. She is a graduate of World Journalism Institute, the Missouri School of Journalism, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Lynde resides with her family in Wichita, Kan.

@lmlangdon