Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) voiced his objection to the ruling by Maine’s secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, to keep former President Trump off the primary ballot.
That move should only have been made if Trump was convicted of a crime, the Democrat argued.
“I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection. I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States,” Golden said in a statement posted on X. “However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot.”
My statement on the Maine Secretary of State's ruling: pic.twitter.com/ByO3XJe1JS
— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) December 29, 2023
Bellows says in her ruling that “the declaration on his candidate consent form is false because he is not qualified to hold the office of the President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
That section states: "No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) also argued Trump should remain on the primary ballot.
“Maine voters should decide who wins the election — not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature,” Collins said. “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.”
The Trump campaign vowed to "quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in Maine from taking effect."
“We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “Make no mistake, these partisan election interference efforts are a hostile assault on American democracy.”