Jury finds Donald Trump guilty in falsified records trial: Where does his campaign go from here?

COLORADO, USA (KRDO) - Former President Donald J. Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts by a New York jury on Thursday afternoon for falsifying business records. Legal experts in Colorado say the ramifications that the verdict will have on the 2024 election will be wide ranging, while residents here in southern Colorado are split on the unprecedented trial verdict.

What experts make clear is that Donald Trump will be able to continue his Presidential campaign. They say that there is nothing in the U.S constitution that prevents a felon from holding the office.

"I do not see a way that he is kept off any of the 50 state ballots as a result of his felonies." explains criminal defense lawyer Jeremy Loew, based in Colorado Springs.

However, they say that the verdict now creates a few intriguing storylines, such as how undecided voters react to the news, and how the Presidential campaigns for 2024 will leverage the verdict for more support.

Loew explains that despite Trump's most ardent supporters claiming the jury's decision may have been biased, or unfair, the 12 jurors that were selected were chosen and agreed upon by attorneys from both sides.

"It had to be an unanimous verdict. That means all 12 jurors had to say that he was guilty," said Loew, "We have to trust that our judicial system  is doing  the best we can. Otherwise we'll live in a lawless land." he added.

Those jurors ultimately did reach an unanimous decision, which found Donal Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records.

As a result of the verdict, experts are also keeping a watchful eye on independent voters around the nation, which is also a prominent voter demographic in the state of Colorado, as 48% of voters are registered as Unaffiliated.

Previously, experts say that polls showed independent voters would be turned away by the idea of a guilty verdict for Donald Trump, however that was in theory.

"Now we have this [and] we'll see in polling in the next few weeks whether those independent voters, of whom there's a lot in our state in Colorado, whether they really do have concerns about this and whether they'll turn their attention to other things." explained Doug Spencer, a Professor of Law at CU Boulder.

Spencer adds that both sides of the Presidential race for November 2024 will likely use the verdict to try and leverage their campaigns.

"[Trump] fights and he says, 'I'm going to win no matter what'. And people like that about him. And on the other side, people see him as a true threat. And so this will be a moment, I think, where a lot of money will pour into the national campaigns and then they'll turn around and use that to try to woo voters." said Spencer.

Residents in Colorado Springs, stood on both ends of the spectrum when it came to the historic decision on Thursday.

Eric Anderson, a long-time Colorado Springs resident, could be seen holding up a "Trump for Prison" flag in Acacia Park on Thursday afternoon. He said that the verdict was long overdue.

"The American people are finally saying that money can't buy [you] out of the jurisdictional process." said Anderson.

Others like Christian Currier, who says that although he doesn't identify as a Trump-supporter, and acknowledged that there are better candidates than him, that he would still vote for him in November.

He added that probation, or jail time would be fine.

"You know, he's in a situation where he put himself in that situation and  he's got to deal with the consequences." said Currier.

Donald Trump is set to appear before a judge on July 11th for sentencing.

Experts say it's highly unlikely that Trump will be "running for President, from a jail cell" as has been theorized by some weeks ago as the verdict approached. They say instead, his team will submit an appeal to the verdict, so he won't face any immediate consequences.

Ultimately the judge presiding over the case will make a ruling on whether Trump will have to pay a fine, can be allowed on probation, or will have to face prison time. Each of the felony counts Trump was found by the jury to be guilty of, carry up to four years in jail.

Spencer added that since Trump's charges come from New York State, and not Florida, where he is a resident, and where felons are not allowed to vote, he will still be able to cast his ballot. He says that is because Florida defers to the state where the felonious charges come from.