Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has failed to get his name on the Republican presidential primary ballot in Maine because he was unable to secure enough signatures from voters.
Christie, an establishment candidate often platformed by Democrats who has consistently polled at or below 3% in the GOP primary, was notified earlier this month by the Maine Secretary of State’s Office that he had not garnered enough signatures from voters in the state to qualify for his name to appear on the Maine GOP primary ballot.
Christie’s campaign appealed the decision in court, but their inability to follow the rules or secure the support of Maine voters caused the judge to rule against their appeal.
Maine Superior Court Justice Julia M. Lipez explained in her ruling that Christie “did not separate petition forms by town, as instructed by the Secretary, or, in the alternative, give himself sufficient time to bring those multi-town signature sheets to the relevant municipalities before the November 20 deadline.”
In a statement following the ruling, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) noted that she appreciated “that the court upheld the integrity of Maine’s well-established ballot access requirements.”
“Every candidate, including presidential candidates, must follow the law to qualify for the ballot,” Bellows added. “We are glad that the court recognized that Maine law is workable and fair to all.”
According to CBS News, Christie’s campaign had only turned in a petition with less than half of the number of certified signatures required for him to secure a spot on the GOP primary ballot.
Christie has focused his entire campaign on winning New Hampshire, according to The Daily Wire, with the outlet noting that he had “tried the same strategy in 2016 and was defeated, finishing behind Donald Trump, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio.”
Meanwhile, he is currently trailing far behind the GOP presidential frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, and behind several other candidates. According to a UMass Lowell/YouGov poll earlier this month, Christie has just 6% support among GOP voters in New Hampshire, while Trump has 52%, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has 22% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has 10%.
📊 2024 New Hampshire GOP Primary
• Trump — 52% (+30)
• Haley — 22%
• DeSantis — 10%
• Christie — 6%
• Ramaswamy — 4%
• Hutchinson — 1%• @UMassLowell | YouGov (B+)
• 450 Likely voters | December 7-18https://t.co/XUP6zo3hKl pic.twitter.com/OfaEqM7y6c— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) December 21, 2023
Despite clearly not fulfilling the objectives necessary to obtain a spot on Maine’s GOP primary ballot, Christie’s campaign has expressed frustration over the news, noting that they disagree with the judge’s ruling and are looking into their options. Christie is still able to file as a write-in candidate with the secretary of state’s office, though he will have to do so by the Monday deadline.
