Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) does not support removing Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot in California saying he’d rather Democrats defeat the former president at the polls.
“There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a threat to our liberties and even to our democracy,” Newsom said in a statement. “But in California, we defeat candidates at the polls. Everything else is a political distraction.”
Newsom’s statement comes after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled last week that Trump should be removed from 2024 ballots under the 14th Amendment insurrection clause, citing his role in the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
Officials in California seized on the ruling to request that the state take similar steps to kick Trump off the ballot.
On Wednesday, California’s Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis sent a letter to California’s Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber urging her to look for every legal option available to remove Trump from the March 5 GOP primary ballot.
“This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of democracy,” Kounalakis wrote.
In addition to Kounalakis, Democratic state Sen Dave Min announced he will introduce a bill in 2024 that would allow California “residents to sue to remove ineligible candidates from the ballot.”
