Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's latest attempt to get on the Maine Republican presidential primary ballot failed Thursday after his campaign tried to recover from a surprising setback in the Super Tuesday state.
Earlier this month, the Maine Secretary of State's office said that Christie's campaign fell short of the necessary number of certified signatures needed from Maine voters to qualify for the state's Republican presidential primary.
His campaign appealed the decision, but a Maine Superior Court judge sided on Thursday with the secretary of state's handling of the situation.
"We appreciate that the court upheld the integrity of Maine's well-established ballot access requirements," Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement. "Every candidate, including presidential candidates, must follow the law to qualify for the ballot. We are glad that the court recognized that Maine law is workable and fair to all."
Christie's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Earlier this month, Maine Director of Elections Heidi M. Peckham said in a letter that Christie's campaign had only turned in 844 of the minimum 2,000 certified signatures required to appear on the ballot.
Candidates were required to file signatures with municipal clerks for certification before submitting them to the secretary of state's office.
A spokesperson for the campaign responded, stating that they had gathered 6,000 signatures and argued that it was a procedural issue with the way signatures were reviewed.
However, the arguments presented by Christie's campaign did not change the decision in the Maine case.
In a recent decision by Maine Superior Court Justice Julia M. Lipez, it was stated that Christie failed to separate petition forms by town as instructed or give himself enough time to submit the signature sheets to the relevant municipalities before the deadline.
Christie still has the option to file as a write-in candidate in Maine, with a deadline of Dec. 26, according to the secretary of state's office.
This news adds to the challenges faced by the Christie campaign as pressure mounts for him to drop out of the race and support an alternative candidate to former President Donald Trump, who is currently the frontrunner in the GOP race. Christie's strategy has focused on the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary, but the difficulties in Maine could undermine his chances moving forward.
On March 5, the Maine contest will feature a diverse group of Republican presidential candidates. From frontrunners to underdogs, the ballot will include prominent figures such as Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Doug Burgum, and Ryan Binkley.
