The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching, and there is a lot of speculation as to whether Republicans will be able to keep control of the House and Senate. The war in Iran is affecting things like the economy, more specifically, gas prices, and those real-life issues could sway voters and might spell trouble for the GOP. But Democrats are desperate to get power back and have made it clear that nothing is off the table.
Secretary LaRose has decided a tie vote of the Franklin County Board of Elections in favor of a protest against the candidacy of Samuel Ronan, who was seeking the Republican nomination for the office of U.S. Representative in the 15th Congressional District. The board has been…
— Ohio Secretary of State (@OHSecofState) March 19, 2026
The board has been informed that Mr. Ronan is no longer a certified candidate for the May 5, 2026 Primary Election, and the board has been instructed to provide proper notice with all ballots that votes for this candidate will not be counted.
Samuel Ronan is a former Democratic state and national candidate in Ohio. He decided to run as a Republican in Ohio's 15th Congressional District against incumbent Rep. Mike Carey. Okay, people switch parties all the time. But in this case, not so fast. To run, Ronan was required to sign a declaration of candidacy, which comes with a penalty of election falsification, swearing he was a member of the Republican Party. However, court documents later revealed that he had publicly acknowledged that his candidacy was part of a plan to run Democrats as Republicans in "deep red districts" to "get a foot in the door."
READ MORE: The Republicans Announce Their 2026 Senate Targets
One Ohio voter, Mark Schare, also said not so fast, and filed a complaint with the Franklin County, Ohio Board of Elections, and offered up various social media posts and interviews that showed Ronan's attempt to fool Ohio Republican voters. Ronan claimed he was truthful on his application and went on to say:
“That is not a ‘strategic candidacy’ or some kind of trick. It is not unlawful. It is not wrong. It is what countless politicians, including Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump and hundreds of others, have done."
Less than a decade ago, Samuel Ronan was running for chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Now he wants to be the GOP's nominee for a U.S. House seat in Ohio, but election officials have removed him from the ballot, saying he's not Republican... https://t.co/EfWGRDljqO
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 7, 2026
After a vote of the Election Board on the legitimacy of Ronan's candidacy was tied along party lines, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) took Ronan's name off the ballot, citing “the integrity of the electoral process." Ronan then filed a federal lawsuit claiming a violation of his First Amendment rights. However, Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison wasted no time in throwing out Ronan's argument, stating in her opinion:
It cannot be the case that a State must allow a candidate on a partisan ballot even if he lied about his party affiliation simply because the First Amendment is implicated.
Ronan then tried his luck at the Supreme Court, which, on Thursday, denied his application for an injunction pending appeal.
LaRose claimed that Ronan has spent a decade trying to get Democrats to pose as Republicans in red districts. He referred to a Facebook post of Ronan's, which read, “Leftists need to infiltrate Republican spaces and primary them.”
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We know Democrats are desperate to regain power not just in 2026 but in 2028 as well. Traditionally, Ohio was considered a swing state, but like a lot of other things, Donald Trump changed that. This is no doubt not the first time a candidate has misrepresented their party affiliation, but for someone who was once dedicated enough to the Democrat Party that he ran for Chair of the Democratic National Committee, could Samuel Ronan have just tried a dry run and taken one for the team?
Since they can't be who they really are, Democrats are hunting for a new strategy. They might think they have found it.
Supreme Court blocks candidate after alleged GOP infiltration scheme exposed Samuel Ronan, a former Democratic state and national candidate, attempted to run as a Republican in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District against GOP incumbent Rep. Mike Carey. https://t.co/ckizEbSRIx pic.twitter.com/3OpQodqhUU
— UnfilteredAmerica (@NahBabyNahNah) April 10, 2026
Editor's Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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