(ConservativeJournal.org) – Chris Christie, the former New Jersey Governor, has faced a setback his attempt to be on the Republican Primary Ballot in Maine. On Thursday, December 21, a Maine Superior Court judge upheld the Maine Secretary of State’s decision that deemed Christie’s campaign ineligible due to there not being enough certified signatures from Maine voters.
Maine’s Director of Elections, Heidi Peckham, said that Christie’s campaign submitted only 844 signatures, falling significantly short of 2000, which is the mandated number. These signatures were required to undergo the certification of multiple municipal clerks before reaching the secretary of state’s desk.
In response to the rejection, a spokesperson from Christie’s campaign argued that they had collected 6,000 signatures. They said the disqualification only happened due to a “procedural issue” in the signature verification process, which they indicated they will challenge.
Despite Christie’s campaign efforts, the court’s decision remained upersuaded. Maine’s Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, emphasized the importance of following the state’s ballot access regulations.
The court’s judgment revealed that Christie had not followed the procedure of categorizing petition forms by town, and he also did not allocate adequate time to submit these signature sheets to the relevant municipalities by the November 20 deadline.
Christie still retains the option to participate in Maine’s primary as a write-in candidate, with a looming deadline of December 26, as confirmed by the secretary of state’s office.
This development poses a challenge for Christie’s campaign strategy, which has been focused on a robust showing in the New Hampshire primary scheduled for January 23. Despite the hurdles in Maine, Christie’s team remains optimistic about their path forward. However, the pressure intensifies for Christie to rally behind an alternative candidate, especially with Donald Trump leading the GOP race.
The Maine Republican presidential primary on March 5 is set to feature a diverse array of candidates, including Trump, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Ron Desantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and pastor Ryan Binkley.
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