Dean Phillips criticizes Colorado court ruling barring Trump from ballot

Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips on Wednesday criticized the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the state’s ballot over his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, aligning with Republicans while placing himself at odds with key figures within his party.

“Do I believe Trump is guilty of inspiring an insurrection and doing nothing to stop it? I was there. Absolutely,” the Minnesota Democrat posted on X, formerly Twitter. ”Do I believe it’s wrong to ban him from the ballot in Colorado without a conviction? Absolutely. Do I believe the SCOTUS must opine immediately? Absolutely.”

Phillips’ take on the Colorado case lines up with what many Republicans, third-party candidates and other Democratic challengers to President Joe Biden have said about the decision. The state's high court held that Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6 attack constituted an insurrection, precluding him from being a candidate under a Reconstruction-era provision of the 14th Amendment that was written to bar former Confederates from office. The decision has been pilloried by Republicans and conservatives as inappropriate and undemocratic.

But Phillips' response also separates him from other figures within the Democratic Party. His long-shot campaign alone has rankled people within the party,and his critiques of Biden's age haven't helped show unified Democratic support for the incumbent president facing regular questioning of his leadership ability.

While Biden himself has not commented, citing the Trump campaign’s ongoing appeal of that ruling, his supporters have voiced their agreement with the Colorado justices’ interpretation of the 14th Amendment.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a close ally of the president, called the ruling “striking” in an appearance on CNN Wednesday morning and noted it was “undeniable in my view that he participated in an insurrection and as such should be disqualified from holding federal office."

Progressives have also voiced their support for the ruling. On X, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said: “I welcome the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court” and added that “the former white supremacist-in-chief has no place near the Oval Office, or any office for that matter.”

It is unclear whether this position will help Phillips in his quixotic bid to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination. A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday found that just 5 percent of Democrats backed Phillips, while 75 percent supported Biden and 15 percent backed lifestyle author Marianne Williamson.