Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) criticized the Maine secretary of state’s decision to remove former President Trump from the Maine primary ballot Thursday, arguing that thoughts on the Jan. 6 Capitol riots should be between the voter and the ballot box.
“Maine voters should decide who wins the election — not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature,” Collins wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The Secretary of State’s decision would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, and it should be overturned.”
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) also disagreed with Bellows’ ruling, saying Trump should still be on the ballot, even though he believes the former president is responsible for the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
“I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection. I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States,” Golden said in a statement. “However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should not be allowed on the ballot.”