Supreme Court keeps former DNC candidate off Ohio GOP primary ballot

Source: Courthouse News Service

April 9, 2026


WASHINGTON (CN) — The Supreme Court refused to intervene in Ohio’s Republican primary election on Thursday, rejecting a congressional candidate’s bid to get back on the ballot after Republicans kicked him off, claiming he’s a secret Democrat.

Samuel Ronan was once a candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee, but he launched a campaign to unseat the Republican incumbent in his congressional district, Representative Mike Carey.

A voter upended his campaign by lodging a protest against his candidacy, claiming his allegiance wasn’t to the Republican party. After being subsequently removed from ballots, Ronan asked the high court for emergency action.

“By their own written admission, [Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose] removed Ronan from Ohio’s Republican primary ballot based solely on the content of his political speech,” Ronan wrote in his application. “They concluded that his past statements on various political issues were inconsistent with Republican principles and that he therefore must have lied when he swore under oath that he is a Republican and intends to abide by Republican principles. But Ronan did not lie.”

Read more: https://courthousenews.com/supreme-court-keeps-former-dnc-candidate-off-ohio-gop-primary-ballot/