Rep. James Comer said he wasn’t surprised at Maine’s secretary of state knocking former President Donald Trump off the state’s 2024 primary ballot and expects more states to follow suit.
“I fear we’re going to see this happen in more states,” Mr. Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said on Fox News shortly after Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced the decision Thursday.
Ms. Bellows, a Democrat, said Mr. Trump would be kept off the state’s ballot because his involvement with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol disqualified him under the 14th Amendment. The Civil War-era amendment bars from federal office anyone who takes an oath to defend the U.S. and then engages in insurrection or rebellion against the U.S.
Maine became the second state to make that decision after Colorado last week. California joined Michigan in deciding that Mr. Trump can stay on the state’s 2024 primary ballot. Other states including Minnesota have also said they dismissed cases.
Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican, said his constituents “think it’s absurd what the Democrats are trying to do in blue states in banning President Trump from the ballot.”
“This is clearly election interference,” he said.
He said the ballot cases are a way to distract from Democrats having a problem with President Biden as their candidate.
“The Democrats are trying to do everything they can in a last-ditch effort to disrupt the Republican momentum right now heading into the presidential election. I think this is another example of that,” Mr. Comer said. “And I hate to say it, but I fear we’re gonna see more blue states pull stunts like this.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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