Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called Colorado’s ruling disqualifying former President Trump from the state’s primary ballot “chilling” and a “political decision” rather than a ruling based in law.
Asked on ABC News’s “This Week” where he stands on the ruling, Graham said, “It’s not a rule of law based ruling, it is a political decision.”
In a 4-3 bombshell ruling last week, the Colorado Supreme Court determined that Trump is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot under the 14th Amendment of the Constitutio, which bars people who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after taking the oath of office from holding certain positions.
The court held Trump did so through his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots, in which supporters of the former president violently stormed the Capitol in order to prevent Congress from certifying President Biden’s victory.
Trump aimed to incite political violence and rallied supporters toward the Capitol to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results, the Colorado court held, violating the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause. The court also ruled the clause applies to the office of the president, overturning a lower court’s decision.
Graham is among several GOP lawmakers who have have argued the ruling is an attempt by Democrats to prevent Trump from winning reelection to the White House in 2024.
Some have pointed to the makeup of the Colorado Supreme Court’s seven-member bench, which was entirely appointed by Democratic governors, though three of those justices still ruled in Trump’s favor.
The South Carolina Republican said he thinks the ruling has “no constitutional basis” and will be a “slam dunk” in the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Donald Trump will eventually be on the ballot in Colorado,” Graham said Sunday. “I think he will win the primary, he’s got a lot of good choices in the Republican Party, but this ruling in Colorado is chilling to me and it would set up a politicization of the presidential races. It would be bad for the country.”
Trump’s campaign has already vowed to appeal the Colorado ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority. Three of the current justices were appointed under Trump.
Asked if he is concerned Trump’s repeated assertions of 2020 election fraud is “not setting the proper standard,” Graham argued the former president is not the first politician to claim denial of a fair election.
“But here’s what I would say — I accept the election results of 2020. I’m worried about 2024. If President Trump puts a vision out improving security and prosperity for Americans, he will win,” Graham said. “If he looks back, I think he will lose. So at the end of the day, the 2020 election is over for me.”