Former President Donald Trump is also not allowed to participate in the Republican primaries in the state of Maine. The state’s top election official, Shenna Bellows, made the announcement Thursday. Maine is the second American state after Colorado to exclude Trump from the elections.
Bellows invokes an article in the Constitution that is rarely used. This provision bars anyone who has been “involved in an insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office. Trump is held responsible for the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Colorado Supreme Court reached the same conclusion last week.
The ruling applies only to the Republican primary in March, but could also affect the general presidential election in November. Lawsuits have also been filed in other states to ban Donald Trump from participating in the elections.
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Most likely, the American Supreme Court will consider the ultimate application of the article in the Constitution. The Court can therefore decide for all states whether Trump can participate in the elections or not.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Trump would quickly appeal the decision in Maine. The Colorado Republican Party has already asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.