California Secretary of State Shirley Weber will not ban Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot.
The news comes as Trump appeared on the state’s certified list of presidential candidates.
Last week, California’s Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis pushed Weber to ban Trump from the ballot.
Kounalakis sent a letter to Weber, urging her to “explore every legal option” to remove Trump from the ballot.
“I am prompted by the Colorado Supreme Court’s recent ruling that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot as a Presidential Candidate due to his role in incising an insurrection in the U.S. on January 6, 2021. This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy,” she wrote, adding that “California is obligated to determine if Trump is ineligible for the California ballot for the same reasons described in Anderson. The Colorado decision can be the basis for a similar decision here in our state.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) criticized the move, saying, “There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a threat to our liberties and even to our democracy. But in California, we defeat candidates at the polls. Everything else is a political distraction.”
Weber issued a response to Kounalakis’ letter, writing, “While we can agree that the attack on the Capitol and the former President’s involvement was abhorrent, there are complex legal issues surrounding this matter.”
“I am guided by my commitment to follow the rule of law,” Weber added. “As such, it is incumbent upon my office to ensure that any action undertaken regarding any candidate’s inclusion or omission from our ballots be grounded firmly in the laws and processes in place in California and our Constitution.”
