- Voters say the 'insurrection' claims should not preclude Trump from 2024 race
- But it's close — and within the opinion poll's margin of error
- READ MORE: SCOTUS to consider whether Trump stays on Colorado's ballot
Americans by a slim margin say Donald Trump should not be barred from running for office over his role in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol, which his critics say amounted to an 'insurrection,' our poll shows.
A DailyMail.com/TIPP Poll has revealed that 49 percent of respondents said the events of J6 should not prevent Trump from standing, while 46 percent said they were grounds for removing his name from ballots.
Our nationwide survey of more than 1,200 voters comes after Colorado and Maine last month disqualified Trump from their primary ballots over his role in J6 — controversial bombshell decisions that are set to be weighed by the Supreme Court.
Trump's candidacy has been challenged in dozens of states over a section of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which says nobody should hold office if they 'engaged in insurrection' or gave 'aid or comfort' to insurrectionists.
Critics say Trump led the deadly attempt to derail the certification of his electoral defeat to Joe Biden in 2020. His defenders say he hasn't been convicted of anything and that voters should decide who gets the keys to the White House in 2024.
The Philadelphia Inquirer's columnist Kyle Sammin on Monday argued that the Republican should not be barred from standing, saying 'efforts to keep Trump off primary ballots defy every principle of democracy.'
'When it comes to former President Donald Trump, democracy as a concept no longer seems so appealing to his opponents,' Sammin wrote.
'In neither [Colorado nor Maine] did anyone bother to actually try Trump for this crime, let alone convict him. Trials? Due process? Who needs 'em?'
Our survey shows that Americans are closely divided on the issue, but slightly favor Trump being allowed to stand in the primary contests that begin this month in Iowa, so voters can decide whether he's fit for office.
The difference is wafer thin — and within the margin of error for the poll.
Men were significantly more likely than women to support Trump's inclusion in ballots. But there was little difference between the opinions of white voters and those who identified as either black or Latino.
Unsurprisingly, there was a massive difference between Democrat-leaning voters and Republicans.
Nearly two thirds of Democrats said Trump should not appear on ballots over his role on J6. Fully three quarters of Republicans however said the favorite to win their party's nomination should be allowed to run.
Aside from Maine and Colorado, 19 states are in the process of resolving challenges to Trump's 2024 candidacy over allegations of mounting an insurrection, according to an analysis by Axios.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider whether Trump should remain on Colorado's 2024 ballot after he was booted by the state — putting its nine justices in the center of the primary election cycle. Oral arguments are set for February 8.
Trump had asked the top court to keep him on the ballot in Colorado, officially challenging the ruling by Democrat-appointed justices that disqualifies him from appearing on the presidential ballot in the state.
It was the first time in history that the 14th Amendment provision was used to block a presidential contender's campaign.
Trump himself nominated three of the justices currently on the bench — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Trump Spokesperson Steven Cheung said Friday they 'welcome a fair hearing' at the Supreme Court to 'argue against the bad-faith, election-interfering, voter-suppressing, Democrat-backed and Biden-led, 14th Amendment abusing decision to remove President Trump's name from the 2024 ballot in the state of Colorado.'
He said the 'ballot-challenge cases' are all part of a 'well-funded effort by left-wing, political activists hell-bent on stopping the lawful reelection of President Trump this November, even if it means disenfranchising voters.'
Cheung noted that Trump is 'dominating' the polls, and says the campaign is 'confident' that the 'fair-minded' Supreme Court will keep the former president on the ballot.
The Supreme Court has never ruled on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was added after the Civil War to prevent former Confederates from returning to government.
The clause states that anyone who swore an oath to 'support' the constitution and then 'engaged in insurrection' against it cannot hold government office — but the section specifically mentions several offices without directly naming the presidency.
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