Trump barred from Colorado ballot by court — but do voters agree? What new poll shows

In an unprecedented decision, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled former President Donald Trump is disqualified from future office — a move that garnered the approval of a slim majority of U.S. voters, according to a new poll.

The court ruled on Dec. 19 that Trump cannot be on the state’s 2024 Republican primary ballot, saying he violated the 14th Amendment, which states individuals who “have engaged in insurrection” are barred from holding office.

Trump — the clear leading candidate for the GOP nomination based on polling — vowed to appeal the decision, which may soon be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, whose ruling would have wide-ranging implications for the upcoming presidential election.

Voter reaction to Trump ruling

A slim majority of U.S. voters approve of the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling, according to a Dec. 20 YouGov poll which surveyed 3,492 American adults.

Fifty-four percent of voters either strongly or somewhat approve of the decision, the poll found, while 35% strongly or somewhat disapprove and 12% said they were unsure.

The results were split along partisan lines, with 84% of Democrats in favor and 66% of Republicans in opposition.

Additionally, 62% of voters said they believe the Supreme Court would take up the case, while only 16% said they believe the high court would not accept the case.

A plurality of voters, 43%, said they believe the Supreme Court would reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision, while 23% said they believed it would uphold the lower court’s ruling. Around one-third, 34%, said they were not sure.

Reactions from politicians

Following the Colorado ruling, both President Joe Biden and Trump issued reactions.

After declining to comment on the specifics of the case, Biden told reporters on Dec. 20 that it was “self-evident” that Trump “supported an insurrection.”

Trump, after falsely claiming he had won the 2020 election, encouraged his supporters to attend a protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, which resulted in an attack on the U.S. Capitol, disrupting the certification of Biden’s victory.

In a Dec. 21 post on Truth Social, Trump said “I’m not an Insurrectionist (“PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY”), Crooked Joe Biden is!!!”

A flurry of other reactions were elicited from members of Congress and White House hopefuls.

Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, in a post on X, wrote that the Colorado court’s ruling is “nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack.”

“Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary,” Johnson added.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, on the other hand, described the court’s decision as a “great and meticulous opinion,” according to The Washington Post.

The four contenders trailing Trump for the GOP nomination — Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie — all signaled staunch opposition to the ruling.

Ramaswamy pledged to withdraw his name from the Colorado Republican primary if Trump is kept from being on the ballot.

Some prominent Democrats, meanwhile, have expressed concern that the decision could only solidify support among Trump voters who view it as political interference.

“All the legal challenges that have been thrown at Trump have so far helped strengthen him in the Republican primary, as he depicts himself as a victim,” David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for former President Barack Obama’s two presidential campaigns, wrote on X. “(Colorado) will be the same. What seems like Kryptonite winds up being battery packs in the GOP primary.”

Next steps

A Trump campaign spokesperson vowed to appeal the Colorado Supreme Court decision, telling The Hill, “we have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits.”

It’s now up to the Supreme Court to decide whether they will grant the Trump campaign’s appeal and take up the case.

Colorado state officials said the court would need to make a determination within weeks, giving the high court an “extremely narrow window” to make a decision, according to Axios.

Colorado, a state with nine Electoral College votes, last voted for a Republican in a presidential general election in 2004, when then-President George W. Bush defeated then-Sen. John Kerry with around 52% of the vote.

This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Trump barred from Colorado ballot by court — but do voters agree? What new poll shows."