In a Super Tuesday state, Chris Christie has been removed from the 2024 Republican primary ballot in Maine. A judge upheld the decision of the Maine secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, who had previously found that the former New Jersey governor fell short of the required certified signatures from Maine voters.
Despite Christie’s appeal, a Maine Superior Court judge issued a ruling on Thursday supporting the secretary of state’s determination.
“We appreciate that the court upheld the integrity of Maine’s well-established ballot access requirements,” Bellows said after the court’s decision.
“Every candidate, including presidential candidates, must follow the law to qualify for the ballot. We are glad that the court recognized that Maine law is workable and fair to all.”
Earlier this month, Heidi Peckham, the Director of Elections in Maine, indicated that Chris Christie’s campaign had submitted 844 certified signatures, falling short of the required 2,000 for ballot eligibility.
Christie’s spokesperson countered, asserting the campaign had gathered 6,000 signatures and characterizing the disagreement with the secretary of state as “procedural.”
Super Tuesday, slated for March 5, 2024, encompasses over a dozen states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia.
