Trump sues over efforts to keep him off Michigan ballot

Former President Trump’s attorneys have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson from refusing to put him on the ballot for the state’s 2024 presidential primary and general elections.

The lawsuit was filed Monday and asks the court to affirm that Benson (D) lacks the authority to decide whether Trump can be disqualified from the ballot under an interpretation of the 14th Amendment. The lawsuit asks the court to enter an injunction stopping her from barring Trump from the ballot.

The suit cites several national and state polls where Trump is the leading Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential election.

“Despite President Trump’s tremendous popularity, there are people who want to deny Michigan voters the opportunity to express their choice by voting for him,” the lawsuit said.  

Trump’s attorneys said court intervention is necessary so Trump can “ensure he is included” on the upcoming ballots.

“There is an actual controversy, the outcome of which will determine how President Trump and his campaign allocate their resources both in Michigan and around the country,” the lawsuit said.

The suit comes one day after a state court in Denver began hearing arguments in a separate lawsuit attempting to keep Trump off Colorado’s ballot. Other lawsuits have been filed in New Hampshire, Arizona and Minnesota.

Benson has said she will not try to keep Trump off the ballot in Michigan. The disagreement began after a lawsuit was filed by Free Speech for People, the same group that filed in Minnesota.

It argued that because of Trump’s alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol, he should be disqualified from running for federal office. The lawsuit cites Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which states no person shall hold elected office who engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States.

Trump’s attorneys said the former president has sent Benson a letter asking her to confirm him as one of the official candidates and that she has not responded to that letter.

The uncertainty about if he will be included on the ballot in Michigan impacts how he will “allocate campaign resources to best secure the nomination and defeat President Biden.”

Polling from August shows Biden and Trump neck and neck in Michigan, each earning 44 percent support from voters.

Opening remarks for the trial in Colorado began Monday, where the plaintiffs argued that Trump incited a violent mob to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6 and the former president should be deemed ineligible to be president again.

Trump’s attorneys said the former president did not “engage” in the events of Jan. 6.

–Updated at 11:42 a.m.