#Politics From #LATimes: #Trump will remain on #California presidential primary ballot.
“There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a threat to our liberties and even to our democracy,” Newsom said in a statement Friday. “But in California, we defeat candidates at the polls. Everything else is a political distraction.”
@ReneeVoiceBrand Well, he can have some effect down-ticket if his name on the ballot turns out more MAGAs in competitive races. In my old home county, Orange County, some congressional districts are somewhat purple-y. If he's not on the ballot, MAGAs might not be motivated to turn out. But one could also argue that overall turnout has been higher with him on the ballot, because people want to vote against him, so there's that.
@WordsmithFL Excellent points!
@ReneeVoiceBrand I agree he's an insurrectionist, but I worry that precedents are being set which could be used to exclude candidates simply for partisan reasons.
What if a 2028 Maine Secretary of State throws Kamala Harris off the ballot for being an "insurrectionist" even though she's not? Kamala would have to file a lawsuit, but tick-tock and money spent.
Similar to how the House GOP wants to impeach Biden for no reason other than Trump was impeached.
@WordsmithFL It seems as if all this started back in 2000 when the Supreme Court stuck their nose in the election.
@ReneeVoiceBrand Yep.
I watch HBO's "Recount" movie once in a while for a Cliff Notes reminder.
I videotaped election coverage that night, suspecting it would be history. It's all on one of my YouTube channels now. I thought it would go the other way -- Bush more votes, Gore the electoral college. Oops.
@WordsmithFL He doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell for winning in my state so what is the point of a lawsuit. These lawsuits are more important when it comes to a swing state.
@Redskye572 His presence on the ballot affects the turnout for down-ballot races. Opposition to Trump flipped many congressional seats in 2018 and staved off the "red wave" in 2022. If he's permanently barred, many "casual" voters are more likely to stay home and not vote, which overall negatively impacts the Democrats.
@WordsmithFL Code for 'He can't win in California so why spend money on court fights'.