Trump will appear on GOP primary ballot in Washington state, election officials confirm
By Marshall Cohen, CNN
(CNN) — Election officials in Washington state confirmed Thursday that Donald Trump’s name will remain on the GOP primary ballot, after a state judge dismissed a lawsuit that tried to disqualify him based on the 14th Amendment.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, a Democrat, said his office would move forward with the ballot-printing process now that the lawsuit was rejected. He also praised the judge for issuing a ruling in a “timely and well-considered fashion.”
The GOP primary is slated for March 12, one week after the Super Tuesday contests.
This is the latest state where Trump beat back an attempt to bar him from the ballot, after victories in Michigan, Oregon, California and elsewhere.
Cases challenging Trump’s eligibility prevailed in Colorado and Maine, though appeals are underway.
Earlier on Thursday, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson dismissed the lawsuit, which argued that Trump should be removed from the ballot because the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban” renders him ineligible for office.
“The Secretary of State acted consistent with his duties,” Wilson said, concluding that Hobbs didn’t make an error by initially including Trump on the GOP ballot. “An order directing the Secretary of State to take different action, an order from this court, is simply not supported by the statutes and not supported by the affidavit of the electors.”
She further explained that Washington state laws don’t establish procedures to do the “extensive” fact-finding that would be required to determine whether Trump engaged in the January 6, 2021, insurrection and how the 14th Amendment should be applied.
Other states allow for a judicial process to figure that out, as happened in Colorado, where Trump was disqualified. His appeal is now pending before the US Supreme Court.
“Colorado’s election law is not the same as Washington’s election law,” Wilson said.
CNN’s Ethan Cohen and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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