A group trying to block former President Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot in all 50 states ramped up pressure on Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade this week.
Free Speech for People in July, less than two weeks into her term. Its asks Griffin-Valade to respond and indicate whether she鈥檒l issue a temporary rule declaring Trump ineligible to appear on ballots in Oregon by Dec. 1.
鈥淵our oath to support the Constitution, and the weighty responsibility entrusted to you by Oregon voters as Secretary of State, impel you to exclude Mr. Trump鈥檚 name from the list of 鈥榪ualified candidates鈥� in the presidential primary,鈥� the group wrote.
A spokeswoman for Griffin-Valade said she received the request and is reviewing it, and has nothing more to share at this time.
The advocacy group鈥檚 campaign rests on a rarely-used section of the Fourteenth Amendment intended to prevent former Confederates from holding federal office after the Civil War. The amendment prohibits anyone who previously took an oath to support the U.S. Constitution and then 鈥渆ngaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof鈥� from holding any federal office.
The group argues that applies to Trump because he swore an oath to uphold the Constitution as president and then engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
The letter noted that Oregon law directs the secretary of state to leave disqualified candidates off the ballot. The Oregon Supreme Court reaffirmed that role last year when former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan blocked New York Times columnist Nick Kristof from running for governor because he hadn鈥檛 met a constitutional requirement to live in the state for three years.
More recently, Griffin-Valade issued a rule blocking Republican state senators who missed more than 10 days of floor sessions without excuses from appearing on the ballot. Four senators filed to run for reelection and were disqualified, and state and federal lawsuits over their disqualification are ongoing.
Whether Trump appears on the ballot in Oregon likely won鈥檛 make much difference. The state鈥檚 presidential primary in May is among the last in the nation, and parties typically know their nominees well before Oregon voters cast their ballots.
Efforts to bar Trump from the ballot have seen legal challenges in Colorado, Michigan and Minnesota. Most recently, a Colorado judge ruled that , but conceded that he engaged in insurrection.
Oregon attorneys Jason Kafoury and Daniel Meek, who have worked on campaign finance reform initiatives in recent years, joined Free Speech for the People in its latest letter to Griffin-Valade and indicated a court battle is likely in Oregon.
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