If Trump ballot decision stands, Colorado GOP says it will move from primary to caucus system
The Colorado Republican Party is planning to withdraw from the state's primary election and move to a caucus system if the ruling against former President Donald Trump stands.
A state GOP spokesperson made the remark on social media following a video posted by GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, in which he pledged to withdraw if the Colorado Supreme Court's Tuesday disqualification of Trump is sustained.
"I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately — or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country," Ramaswamy said in the video.
The Colorado Republican Party replied to the candidate's video, assuring him, "You won't have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand."
CRITICS SLAM COLORADO SUPREME COURT FOR REMOVING TRUMP FROM STATE'S 2024 BALLOT: 'A MOCKERY'
Republicans and other allies of the former president are slamming the Colorado Supreme Court for removing him from the state’s 2024 ballot.
The divided court declared that Trump was ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause and removed him from the state's presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation's highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race.
COLORADO SUPREME COURT DISQUALIFIES TRUMP FROM 2024 BALLOT
The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.
The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case.
Colorado officials said the issue must be settled by Jan. 5, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots.
"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," wrote the court's majority. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."
Fox News' Bradford Betz, Bill Mears, Adam Sabes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.