Minocqua Brewing Co. owner, Kirk Bangstad, is spearheading an initiative to prevent Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 ballot in Wisconsin, citing the former president’s alleged involvement in the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report from the Wisconsin State Journal.
Despite Bangstad’s efforts, the Wisconsin Elections Commission swiftly dismissed the complaint, stating that it was filed directly against members of the bipartisan agency and had been “disposed of without consideration.”
Bangstad, a former Democratic U.S. House and Wisconsin Assembly candidate with his own political super PAC, lodged the complaint on Thursday. In it, he argued that Trump should be disqualified from presidential candidacy under the “insurrection clause” of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits individuals who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States from holding office.
This endeavor is part of a broader national trend, with numerous similar initiatives seeking to prevent Trump from appearing on state ballots in the upcoming elections. Colorado and Maine have already removed the former president from their ballots, though it remains to be seen if those moves will withstand challenges from the Trump campaign.
Initially contemplating a lawsuit in circuit court, Bangstad altered his approach based on advice from individuals involved in comparable lawsuits in other states. Despite the commission’s rejection, he affirmed his intention to proceed with a lawsuit on the matter.
