Everyone would like Trump to be disqualified from running based on the 14th Amendment. But realistically, it's going to be getting bounced around courts long past the next election. I'm counting on enough GOP voters who are concerned he could get a felony conviction that prevents him from running in enough states to make it mathematically impossible for them to win the general election.
Of course, then we get someone just as bad, but more competent at doing it, so we aren't coming out ahead.
Two things seem totally unclear: whether a Secretary of State can actually keep a person off the ballot based on what amounts to a matter of opinion, and who actually has the standing to bring a lawsuit to force him off the ballot.
"Fought in the Confederate Army" wouldn't have been an opinion, either someone did or they didn't.
My suspicion is that, here in the 21st Century, you'd need a guilty verdict on a sedition charge or something like it.
Elmer Rhodes and Henry Tarrio can't run for Federal office whenever they get out of stir, you bet.
@mcfate
I have been looking it up, and while most red states would prevent a felon running for state office, they don't have the ability to prevent them from running for federal office, except in the case of the 14th amendment. But I'm sure Trump's primary opponents would take advantage of voter ignorance on that point to try to peel votes away from Trump.
@mcfate
They're not going to challenge him publicly, but they wouldn't be running if they wanted him to win. They'll have their proxies do the dirty work.
None of them stands a ghost of a chance, they're all wasting their time and everyone else's.
They're wasting Redumblican donor dollars, so that's just fine.
@AlphaCentauri
Are you kidding me? All of 'em except Christie and Hutchinson raised their hands and said they'd vote for him if he got convicted AND nominated.