GOP Legislators in 3 States Seek to Keep Biden Off 2024 Ballot

GOP Legislators in 3 States Seek to Keep Biden Off 2024 Ballot
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the release of hostages from Gaza in Nantucket, Mass., on Nov. 26, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Savannah Hulsey Pointer
12/22/2023
Updated:
12/22/2023
0:00

Republicans from three state legislatures have made a move toward keeping President Joe Biden off the 2024 presidential ballot. This comes just days after the Colorado Supreme Court moved that former President Donald Trump would not be allowed to appear on that state’s ballot.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, Georgia State Rep. Charlice Byrd, and Arizona State Rep. Cory McGarr released the following joint statement about their efforts and upcoming legislation to remove the current president’s name from the ballot in Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

“I am joining with PA Rep. Aaron Bernstine and AZ Rep. Cory McGarr to introduce legislation to remove Joe Biden from the ballot in response to the absurd ruling by radical Democrat judges in Colorado, removing Donald Trump from their ballot,” Ms. Byrd said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.

The lawmakers also voiced their frustration with the current push to keep President Trump off the ballot in several states, with the recent judicial branch success in Colorado and cases pending in other states.

They released a joint statement, saying, “Today, we are joining forces to introduce legislation to remove Joe Biden from the ballot in Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

“The absurdity of radical Democrat judges removing Donald Trump from the ballot in Colorado will be a stain on the American political system for decades. By their very own interpretation of the law, Joe Biden is 100 percent not eligible to run for political office.

The statement went on to assert that “Democrats’ insane justification to remove Trump can just as easily be applied to Joe Biden for his ”insurrection” at the southern border and his alleged corrupt family business dealings with China. Colorado radicals just changed the game, and we are not going to sit quietly while they destroy our Republic.

“To be clear, our objective is to showcase the absurdity of Colorado’s decision and allow ALL candidates to be on the ballot in all states. To do that, we must fight back as Republicans against the communists currently running our great country.”

The lawmakers’ response to the Colorado ruling came after President Biden confirmed his belief that there was “no question” the former president and his 2024 presidential rival, was an insurrectionist.

“Is Trump an insurrectionist, sir?” one reporter called out during a Dec. 21 interaction with the press, prompting President Biden to walk closer to the cameras, asking the reporter to repeat the question.

“I think that’s certainly self-evident; you saw it all,” President Biden answered.

“Now, whether the 14th Amendment applies, I'll let the court make that decision,” he added. “But he certainly supported insurrection, no question about it, none, zero. And he seems to be doubling down on everything.”

This came the same day that President Trump denied he fit that label but said President Biden could fall into the category, citing an “open” border and other factors as part of what he termed the “destroying” of America.

“I’m not an insurrectionist (‘PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY’), Crooked Joe Biden is,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social, the words “peacefully & patriotically” referring to a portion of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech in which he told members of the crowd to head to the Capitol building “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

President Trump’s remarks came two days after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled to bar him from the state’s presidential primary ballot on the basis of a section of the 14th Amendment that blocks anyone from running for office who engaged in an “insurrection.”

The White House did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.