Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie failed to make the Republican Party presidential primary ballot in Maine after not securing enough signatures from voters.
The Republican presidential candidate was notified earlier this month by the Maine Secretary of State’s Office that he had failed to secure enough certified signatures from Maine voters to qualify for the state’s GOP primary ballot, the Bangor Daily News reported.
The campaign appealed the decision in court after facing the unexpected setback in the Super Tuesday state, but were shot down this week by Maine Superior Court Justice Julia M. Lipez.
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,” Lipez wrote.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement that her office 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,” she added. “We are glad that the court recognized that Maine law is workable and fair to all.”
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Christie’s campaign only turned in fewer than half the number of certified signatures that were required in order for him to appear on the ballot, CBS News reported.
The 61-year-old politician has banked his entire campaign on winning New Hampshire, where he is trailing multiple candidates. He tried the same strategy in 2016 and was defeated, finishing behind Donald Trump, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio.
Christie’s campaign said they disagreed with the judge’s ruling and they were evaluating their options. They can still file as a write-in candidate with the secretary of state’s office, but will have to do so by Monday.
