Former President Trump will be allowed on Massachusetts’s presidential primary ballot.
On Monday, the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission rejected two attempts to keep Trump off the ballot, stating it “does not have jurisdiction over the matters presented.”
The two ballot eligibility challenges followed the same line of argument as a series of others across the nation that invoke the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, according to The Hill. The challenges argued Trump cannot appear on the primary or general ballots because he “engaged in a rebellion against the Constitution.”
On Tuesday, Trump celebrated the victories.
“Yesterday, the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission dealt another blow to Biden Democrats and their Election Interference attempt to disenfranchise millions of American voters by trying to remove President Trump from the ballot,” the campaign wrote in a statement.
“In discarding this latest hoax, the commission sided with the Constitution, ensuring that the people of Massachusetts will have the right to vote for the candidate of their choice in 2024.”
Massachusetts will hold its primary on March 5, or Super Tuesday, along with 15 other states.
The state’s Ballot Law Commission met last week for a pre-hearing conference where they heard arguments on procedural matters.
“There is nothing in the case law or the statutes that the commission is required to follow that says qualification to be on a ballot is a precondition to appear on the ballot,” Trump lawyer Marc Salinas said, per CNN.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
