DISQUALIFIED?

New Hampshire ‘Carefully Reviewing’ Bid to Keep Trump Off 2024 Ballot

The attorney general and secretary of state said they were “aware of public discourse regarding the potential applicability” of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

New Hampshire is “now carefully reviewing the legal issues involved” in efforts to knock Donald Trump off the state’s 2024 ballot, according to a joint statement published Tuesday. Attorney General John M. Formella and Secretary of State David M. Scanlan wrote that they were “aware of public discourse regarding the potential applicability” of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies those who have taken an oath to support the Constitution from running for public office again if they have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” Some New Hampshire Republicans—specifically Bryant “Corky” Messner, a Senate nominee previously endorsed by Trump—have used the section to question Trump’s eligibility for the ballot and argue for his potential (although unlikely) removal. However, Formella and Scanlan’s statement made it clear that the secretary of state's office has not “already taken a position on or is seeking to take certain action” in regard to whether the 14th Amendment could affect Trump’s candidacy. The office also called out “misinformation,” first circulated by conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk, who claimed to listeners that New Hampshire was actively blocking Trump from the ballot.