On April 2nd, Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap has made a major decision in regards to the presidential primaries. In an unexpected and controversial move, he has removed Donald Trump from the Maine primary ballot.
The decision to remove Trump from the ballot has created a lot of speculation and debate across the state. The removal is highly notable as it is the first time a sitting president has been taken off the ballot in a state primary.
Dunlap cited legal issues as being the reason behind his decision to remove Donald Trump from the ballot. According to him, it was difficult for the state of Maine to put Trump on the ballot given the lawsuit which questioned the association of a national political committee to the campaign.
The decision has been met with some disagreement from state Republicans, who claim that Dunlap is abusing his authority. They have promised to contest the decision, claiming that Dunlap forgoed the legislature’s vote on the matter.
The Maine primary is set to occur on July 14th, and it is unclear how exactly the decision to remove Trump from the ballot will affect the state’s Republican vote. Trump is seemingly the favorite amongst registered Republicans, so it is likely that his absence could hurt the Republican vote.
This decision is yet another example of how politics among the major parties is becoming increasingly divided. It will be interesting to see how this effects the elections, whether there is an effect or not.
“Maine Sends Trump Packing: Secretary of State Removes Donald Trump from Primary Ballot
