USA, Maine excludes Trump from primaries: reason and reaction

This has already happened in Colorado. Maine has now also barred Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican primary for a January 6, 2021 attack on Capitol Hill based on the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The decision was made by Secretary of State Chenna Bellows, who declared in her ruling that the events at the Capitol “occurred with the will, knowledge, and support of the outgoing president” and that “the Constitution of the United States does not tolerate an attack on the very foundations of our government. According to a spokeswoman for her campaign, the president is determined to prevent this from happening.” It appears to want to raise a legal objection that it is “atrocious. “We are witnessing in real time an attempt to steal the election”. Maine and Colorado primaries are scheduled for March 5.

Bellows added, “I know that no Secretary of State has ever taken away a presidential candidate's access to vote under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. However, I also know that no presidential candidate has engaged in sedition.” The 14th Amendment, Section 3, states that public officers sworn to uphold the Constitution are barred from future office if they engage in “rebellion” or “riot” against the Constitution. The amendment was used against Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his deputy, Alexander Stephens, but rarely against a White House candidate.