Indiana officials have made the decision to prevent John Rust, a candidate for the United States Senate, from being included on the Republican primary ballot due to his past affiliation with the Democratic party. This ruling by the bipartisan Indiana Election Commission was unanimous and signifies a victory for the Republican party.
As a result, Rep. Jim Banks, a strong conservative endorsed by President Trump and the Indiana GOP, will now be the sole Republican candidate on the ballot for the upcoming primary election in May. This development comes after Democrats have faced challenges in their attempts to remove President Trump from Republican primary ballots in different states.
BREAKING: U.S. Senate candidate John Rust removed from Republican primary ballot by Indiana Election Commission. Unanimous decision found Rust didn’t meet state’s two-primary voting requirement that he’s fought in court. Vote leaves Jim Banks as the only GOP candidate.
— Tom Davies (@TomDaviesIND) February 27, 2024
According to Davies, Indiana law mandates that candidates must have participated in the last two primary elections of the party they wish to represent or receive certification from a county party chair in order to be eligible for the ballot.
Rust, a prosperous egg farmer, voted in Indiana’s 2016 GOP primary, but had previously voted in the state’s Democratic primaries in 2012, 2010, 2008, and 2006.
There is no evidence of his participation in the 2004 election cycle or earlier until 1996, which was the last time he voted in a Republican primary. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that the bipartisan four-member Indiana Election Commission unanimously decided to disqualify Rust from running as a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in the upcoming May GOP primary.
He was disqualified due to the regulation requiring that a candidate’s two most recent primary votes must be for the same party they are seeking to represent.
Furthermore, Jackson County Republican Party Chair Amanda Lowery refused to provide Rust with the certification needed to bypass this requirement.
