The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to overturn lower court decisions removing Samuel Ronan from Ohio's Republican primary ballot for the 15th Congressional District. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose had disqualified Ronan, who previously sought the Democratic National Committee chairmanship, citing his admitted intent to run Democrats in Republican primaries. No justices dissented from the decision.
Samuel Ronan filed to challenge Republican Rep. Mike Carey in Ohio's 15th Congressional District GOP primary. His candidacy was initially certified by the Franklin County Board of Elections in February after he declared himself a Republican Party member and pledged to uphold its principles. However, Ohio Republican voter Mark Schare protested after noticing Ronan's social media post stating, “Leftists need to infiltrate Republican spaces and primary them,” and documents showing his plan to run Democrats in “deep red” districts, as reported by Fox News from U.S. District Court filings. The Franklin County board tied along party lines, prompting LaRose to remove Ronan from the ballot, which Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison upheld, ruling his declaration fraudulent. LaRose described the maneuver as “political transgenderism,” adding, “We had to go all the way to the nation’s highest court to fight a blatant attempt by a self-declared Democrat to hijack a Republican primary contest.” Ronan denied any trickery, noting that former Democrats Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump became Republicans. His attorney accused Rep. Carey of sabotaging access by enlisting the Ohio Republican Party and argued a board member should have recused herself due to her party role. LaRose advocated for a closed primary system in Ohio, which currently allows voters to request a party ballot without prior registration, calling the open process vulnerable to fraud.
