HARTFORD, Conn. — The presidential primary ballots in Connecticut are set.
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas announced Friday the names of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates who will appear on the ballot for Connecticut’s Presidential Preference Primary election on April 2.
President Joe Biden will be joined on the Democratic ballot by challengers Dean Phillips, Cenk Uygur and Marianne Williamson.
The Republican ballot will feature Ryan Binkley, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and former president Donald Trump.
Candidates may request that their names be omitted from the ballot as long as they make a request in writing by noon Monday, Feb. 26.
Secretary Thomas will publicly determine the order of names on the ballots for both parties’ primaries on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
“If any candidate meets that threshold, we have to place them on the ballot,” Thomas said. “If they have substantial news coverage in statewide or local media, which I could meet that threshold if I wanted to, we have to place them on the ballot statutorily.”
The secretary’s legal team determined per the state statute, former president Trump can appear on the ballot. She reiterated Friday her office has no authority to keep Trump off the ballot.
“As we've seen with many other states across the country, it is not within our jurisdiction, a court would need to make that decision,” continued Thomas. “Most of these conversations that are being had across the country are because individuals have filed suits. The Secretary has no say.”
Some in Connecticut disagree.
“Under Section Three, Article 14 of the amendments to the Constitution, President Trump is ineligible for office and he cannot be put on any ballot,” said civil rights lawyer Alex Taubes.
He’s referencing what’s commonly referred to as the “Insurrection Clause.”
It gives Congress the power to ban public officials from holding office if they, “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the” U.S. Constitution.
Tubes and others say this does apply to Trump because of his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“It's as clear as rules like a person can't run for president unless they're over the age of 35 or unless they've been born in the United States. It’s part of our democracy,” he said. “There are certain rules of eligibility.”
In Colorado, the state’s top court ruled Trump ineligible to appear on the ballot, but the U.S. Supreme Court will hear that case. Oral arguments are scheduled for Feb. 8.
For how the Supreme Court's decision could impact Connecticut, it’s still up in the air. The secretary's office says it all depends on the language of the eventual ruling.
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