Prominent Republicans have rallied behind former President Donald Trump, expressing outrage over a recent ruling by Colorado’s Supreme Court that could potentially disqualify him from the state’s 2024 primary ballot.
The decision has sparked fierce backlash from GOP leaders, who charge that the ruling represents an affront to democracy and, according to GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel and others, an unprecedented act of “election interference.”
“This irresponsible ruling will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and our legal team looks forward to helping fight for a victory,” Ms. McDaniel wrote on X, formerly Twitter. She declared that the Republican nominee “will be decided by Republican voters, not a partisan state court.”
The sentiment among Republicans in Congress was overwhelmingly unified against what many said was an egregious violation of democratic principles.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) led the charge, characterizing the ruling as a “thinly veiled partisan attack” and expressing confidence the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn the decision by the all-Democrat-appointed justices.
“Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary,” Mr. Johnson said on X. “We trust the U.S. Supreme Court will set aside this reckless decision and let the American people decide the next President of the United States.”
House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) echoed sentiments that the ruling was “unprecedented” and constituted “illegal election interference against President Trump” that will ultimately help his campaign.
Meanwhile, others, such as pollster Frank Luntz and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), joined Ms. Stefanik in expressing the view that the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision will only ensure President Trump’s victory.
“Trump is gaining, the more that he’s prosecuted, the more than he is condemned, the higher his numbers go as people rally around him,” Mr. Luntz told CNN on Tuesday. “And I would say to the judges, as I said to the Justice Department, you’re actually making it more likely that Donald Trump is elected next November by how you are pursuing this.”
Reactions in the Senate
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) echoed Mr. Johnson’s sentiments, condemning the decision as a disgraceful assault on American voters.“Apparently democracy is when judges tell people they’re not allowed to vote for the candidate leading in the polls? This is disgraceful,” he wrote on X. “The Supreme Court must take the case and end this assault on American voters.”
Other Republican senators, including Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Steve Daines (R-Mo.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), lambasted the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision as “lawless, cynical,” and “unprecedented.” They vowed to take swift action to “immediately reverse” what they deemed “blatant election interference” that “will backfire.”
The U.S. government has sanctioned “other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today,” noted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Reactions in the House
Several House Republicans, including Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) accused “liberals on the Colorado Supreme Court” of trying to block President Trump from the ballot, with Mr. Gaetz drawing a parallel to actions taken by dictators.“This is extreme judicial activism that is designed to suppress the vote and voices of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, which is absolutely unacceptable,” Ms. Boebert, who is from Colorado, wrote on X.
Mr. Gaetz wrote: “Democrats are trying to imprison their chief political opponent and have now apparently succeeded at removing him from the ballot. This is what dictators do.”
House GOP members expressed confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court’s ability to rectify the situation and ensure that the American people have the final say in the election.
“They will do everything they can to block Donald Trump from being president again. Really nothing surprises me anymore,” wrote Mr. Banks. “But it won’t work. It only emboldens those of us who know America is worth fighting for and that Donald Trump is the fighter we need back in the White House to save America. Bring it on!”
“I’m confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will not allow this egregious ruling to stand,” wrote Mr. Gaetz. “The American people will decide their next president, not activist judges in Colorado.”
Ms. Boebert echoed the Florida congressman, expressing confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court “will remedy this horrible decision so Coloradans will have the right to cast their ballot” for President Trump. “We will fight this every step of the way!” she added.
The Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-3 ruling, disqualified President Trump from appearing on the state’s primary ballot based on a 14th Amendment provision that bars individuals from public office if they have engaged in an “insurrection.”
The state high court stayed its ruling until Jan. 4, 2024, “pending any review by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Meanwhile, President Trump’s legal spokesperson, Alina Habba, said in a statement, “It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.”
