Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has made headlines by vowing to withdraw from the GOP primary ballot in both Colorado and Maine.
This decision comes in response to the state rulings to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot due to his alleged role in the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.
Colorado’s Supreme Court ruling on the removal of Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot has captured national attention. The court voted 4-3 in favor of ousting Trump under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause.”
Read: Florida Gov. DeSantis And Former South Carolina Gov. Haley Commit To Trump Pardon
The decision by Colorado’s highest court is unprecedented, making it the first state to block a former president from seeking the presidency due to their involvement in an insurrection. However, the ruling is not yet finalized, as the court has put it on hold until January 4, allowing Trump to seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Reacting to the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision, Vivek Ramaswamy announced his pledge to withdraw from the GOP primary in Colorado if Trump is not allowed to be on the state’s ballot. In a statement, Ramaswamy called out fellow candidates Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley, urging them to do the same.
He argued that if they did not withdraw, they would be tacitly endorsing what he considered an illegal maneuver with potential disastrous consequences for the country.
While the focus has been on Colorado, Ramaswamy’s pledge also extends to the Maine GOP primary. He has vowed to drop out of the race in Maine if the state successfully removes Trump from its ballot.
Read: Ramaswamy Calls On Fellow GOP Candidates To Drop From Colorado Ballot
Ramaswamy’s challenge to his rivals in Maine mirrors his actions in Colorado, calling on Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Chris Christie to join him in withdrawing from the primary if Trump is excluded.
During a “NewsNation Prime” interview on Monday, Ramaswamy said, “Yeah, look, it wasn’t in protest. I’m actually a very practical person. I think that it was deeply unconstitutional and wrong for one individual secretary of state, without any trial or procedure or anything else, just to decide and wake up one day Donald Trump’s not on the ballot. That’s wrong,” said Ramaswamy.
Maine, like Colorado, is a state with a mix of blue-leaning and red-leaning areas. However, it awards its electoral votes by congressional district, giving Trump a single elector in 2020.
This unique system adds another layer of complexity to the situation, as the outcome of the primary could potentially impact the distribution of electoral votes in the state.
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