GOP leaders have said their nominee ‘will be decided by Republican voters, not a partisan state court.’
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.
Today’s ruling attempting to disqualify President Trump from the Colorado ballot is nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 20, 2023
Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the… https://t.co/yMm4wTb1K8
“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.”
