Early reactions from Maine political figures were mostly favorable to the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous Monday decision allowing former President Donald Trump on the Republican presidential primary ballot here and in two other states.
The ruling overturned a December decision by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to declare Trump ineligible for the ballot for violating the so-called insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by inciting the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021. The court held that states cannot enforce the clause without action from Congress.
Bellows’ ruling followed a similar one from the Colorado Supreme Court and preceded another from an Illinois court. All of those decisions were on hold as the Colorado case before the high court and related appeals worked their way through the courts, leaving Trump’s name on the ballot ahead of this week’s Super Tuesday primaries in Maine, Colorado and 13 other states.
Maine Republicans harshly criticized Bellows for the decision, which led to a failed impeachment effort in the Democratic-led House of Representatives. On Monday, Joel Stetkis, the chair of the state party, issued a fundraising email calling the Democrat a “partisan hack.”
Three members of Maine’s congressional delegation — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, independent Sen. Angus King and Democrat Jared Golden of the 2nd District — said after Bellows issued her ruling that the Maine voters should be allowed to vote for Trump.
Golden, a centrist who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Capitol riots, echoed that in a Monday statement that said the high court “got it right.”
“I believe Donald Trump incited the violence that took place on January 6, 2021, and my vote to impeach him for it reflects that belief,” he said. “But the House impeachment vote alone is not enough to preclude him from the ballot.”
The two Republicans looking to oust Golden from the district twice won by Trump also weighed in. State Rep. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent doubled down on a past call for Bellows to resign, while Rep. Mike Soboleski of Phillips called it a “massive win for liberty.”
The three political figures who led the Trump challenge that led to the Bellows decision were disappointed. Ben Gaines, the lawyer for former Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling and former Republican state Sens. Tom Saviello of Wilton and Kim Rosen of Bucksport, issued a statement saying the high court “invented a new rule” to avoid enforcing the 14th Amendment.
“Now, it will be up to every citizen and voter to hold this insurrectionist former president accountable for his heinous actions,” Gaines said.
