Trump praises Illinois election board for throwing out effort to keep him off ballot

The Illinois State Board of Elections threw out an effort to remove Donald Trump from the primary ballot Tuesday — and was immediately congratulated for the decision by the former president.

The challenge cited the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment, stating that Trump should be disqualified from holding public office because he'd taken part in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Similar attempts to boot him off the ballot have been successful in Maine and Colorado, though both are being appealed.

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"The case was filed by five voters who argued that Trump is ineligible to appear on the ballot, citing a Civil War-era provision of the U.S. Constitution that bars insurrectionists from holding office," The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Trump praised the 8-0 ruling, saying that Illinois State Board of Elections is "protecting the Citizens of our Country from the Radical Left Lunatics who are trying to destroy it."

"The VOTE was 8-0 in favor of keeping your favorite President (ME!), on the Ballot. I love Illinois. Make America Great Again!" he wrote.