Wall Street Journal: “The test now for Haley is whether she can get her message back on track, with just weeks to go until the first Republican nominating contests.”

“Her initial remarks, which drew wide play on cable news and social media, were potentially damaging because they called into question several elements central to her claim that she is the most capable and electable challenger to former President Donald Trump. It could also make moderate voters question supporting her if she is seen as unprincipled.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) came out against the decision to bar Donald Trump from the state’s ballot, The Messenger reports.

Said Collins: “Maine voters should decide who wins the election – not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature. The Secretary of State’s decision would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, and it should be overturned.”

“The campaign to have former President Donald Trump removed from the ballot over his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election has kicked into high gear, with decisions in two states, Maine and Colorado, barring him from the primary ballots,” the New York Times reports.

“Challenges are still underway in many more states, based on an obscure clause of a constitutional amendment enacted after the Civil War that disqualifies government officials who ‘engaged in insurrection or rebellion’ from holding office.”

“Over the years, the courts and Congress have done little to clarify how that criterion should apply, adding urgency to the calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the politically explosive dispute before the upcoming election.”

“Donald Trump’s rivals in the Republican race for president again lined up in his defense on Thursday after Maine barred him from its primary election ballot, the second state to do so,” the New York Times reports.

“When the Colorado Supreme Court barred Mr. Trump from the primary ballot there last week, all of Mr. Trump’s opponents also criticized the decision, rather than using it as an avenue of attack.”

“Maine’s top election official on Thursday barred Donald Trump from the state’s primary election ballot, the second state to block the former president’s bid for re-election based on claims that his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election rendered him ineligible,” the New York Times reports.

“In a written decision, the official, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, said that Mr. Trump did not qualify for the ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, agreeing with a handful of citizens who claimed that he had incited an insurrection and was thus barred from seeking the presidency again under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.”

Daily Beast: “The notion that Haley, an Indian-American woman who as governor of South Carolina took down the Confederate flag from the state capital, is some sort of Confederate sympathizer seems absurd. Still, we can only speculate as to why she choked on this particular question.”

“One cynical theory is that Haley thought the obvious answer would not be well received by primary voters in the Party of Lincoln. And rather than challenging her audience to embrace their better angels, she gave a nonsensical answer.”

“If true, it’s illustrative to see how much perceptions have changed regarding the GOP electorate in recent years.”