Eleni Kounalakis, the Democratic lieutenant governor of California, called Wednesday for the state to weigh every option to keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot.
Her request to Shirley Weber, the Democratic secretary of state of California, came just one day after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump not be allowed on that state's ballot.
"Based on the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling ... I urge you to explore every legal option to remove former President Donald Trump from California's 2024 presidential primary ballot," Kounalakis pleaded to Weber.
"This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of democracy," she added.
The Colorado high court had determined Trump engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and thus violated the United States Constitution's 14th Amendment, despite no criminal conviction determining such yet.
As a result, it agreed with a lower court ruling that found him responsible for an insurrection.
However, it also expanded upon it. The Colorado Supreme Court argued that the Constitution's "insurrection clause" applied to presidents, making Trump ineligible to be on the ballot.
The lower court ruling held that the clause did not apply to presidents, and the argument is likely to be at the center of an imminent U.S. Supreme Court battle over Trump's ballot access.
"There will be inevitable political punditry about a decision to remove Trump from the ballot, but this is not a matter of political gamesmanship," Kounalakis said. "This is a dire matter that puts at stake the sanctity of our Constitution and our democracy."
A previous version of Kounalakis' letter incorrectly stated that a president "must be 40 years old" to hold the office. It was later corrected to the actual age of eligibility, which is 35 years.
The Colorado Supreme Court's decision is stayed until Jan. 4, subject to the appeals process.
"What a shame for our country!!!" Trump said in all-caps on his social media platform, Truth Social, after the Colorado ruling dropped on Tuesday.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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