The Indiana State Board of Elections has voted to remove businessman and longtime Democratic voter John Rust from the state’s Republican Senate primary ballot.
In an X post and subsequent article Tuesday afternoon, Indiana state reporter Tom Davis reported that the Indiana State Board of Elections: I voted With Rust off the ballot, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) became the only Republican candidate. Davis noted in his post that “the unanimous decision found that Mr. Rust did not meet the state’s two primary voting requirements that he claimed were challenged in court.”
BREAKING: U.S. Senate candidate John Rust has been removed from the Republican primary ballot by the Indiana State Board of Elections. The unanimous decision found that Mr. Rust did not meet the voting requirements in the two state primaries that were challenged in court. The vote left Jim Banks as the only Republican candidate.
— Tom Davies (@TomDaviesIND) February 27, 2024
Code 3-8-2-7, the requirement that Rust failed to meet, is that to qualify as a candidate for a political party, you must have voted on that party’s ballot in the past two primaries, or If you don’t have one, you are required to vote. Receive approval from the county head.
As Breitbart News first reported in July, Rust did not meet voting requirements, and Jackson County Party Republican Chairwoman Amanda Lowery said Rust chose not to certify.
Regarding Rust’s major voting record, Breitbart News reported:
He voted in the 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 Democratic primaries, according to Indiana Statewide Voter Registration System records. Records show that Mr. Rust voted in the Republican primary in 1996 and 2016, but it is unclear which party he belonged to between 1997 and 2004.
In the complaint, Mr. Rust’s lawyers argued that he did not vote in the 2020 Republican primary because the date was changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. He also points out that many Republicans ran unopposed on the county’s ballot that year.
The lawsuit led to a ruling in Rust’s favor in Marion Superior Court and was ultimately blocked by the Indiana Supreme Court on February 15, and, as noted by the Associated Press, he faces public challenges to his candidacy. was exposed to. The six challenges are: It has been submitted The next day, according to Indiana Capital Chroniclethe final fate will be in the hands of the Election Commission.
Separately, during an election commission hearing on Tuesday, “a state superior court judge issued an order upholding the law establishing the dual requirements.” Indiana Capital Chronicle I got it..
Mr. Last condemned the commission’s ruling in a statement shared via X.
My fight for Hoosiers has just begun!!!🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/cbkV45vXpv
— John Rust (@JohnRust_IN) February 27, 2024
“Today proved that political insiders continue to rig our elections. It was this disregard for Hoosiers that inspired me to run for the United States Senate in the first place.” he said. “If necessary, we intend to appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
“The outcome of the hearing was predetermined,” he said, adding, “I will never stop fighting for Hoosiers.”
