Feb 15, 2024. Indiana Supreme Court blocks injunction, opening door for Rust to be kept off May ballot – Indianapolis Business Journal,    | Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Indiana Supreme Court justices on Thursday blocked an injunction against the state’s two-primary rule that prohibits U.S. Senate hopeful John Rust from appearing on the GOP primary ballot in May.

Chief Justice Loretta Rush said that “a majority” of the justices voted to stay the trial court’s order, in which Marion County Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Dietrick found Indiana’s two-primary requirement unconstitutional.

• • This article posted at Brown County Matters.
  • 2024 Primary Candidates in Brown County
  • AP – Indiana Supreme Court issues ruling in John Rust Senate bid
    • Rust issued a statement saying, “I’ve been fighting the establishment since day one. I will never stop fighting. All options are on the table, including relief from the US Supreme Court.”
  • LOYALTY OVER COMPETENCE? “There’s no real way to ensure we have people with relevant experience running for office, but having people with a voting history at least assures that they have been doing more than voting in general elections.” The two primary rule is a good rule

AUDIO – Feb 12, 2024 Oral Arguments  – 20 minutes on each side

If any citizen wants to run for office in the primary, they need to meet the following criteria:

This criteria is currently being challenged – by Senate Candidate John Rust. The Indiana Supreme Court held oral arguments on February 12 – three days after the filing deadline of Feb 9, 2024. Indiana Supreme Court to hear Rust case Feb. 12

For  Republican party-specific positions – precinct chairs, convention delegates, Rule 1-24 and 1-25 can apply.

 Indiana GOP Rules of the Indiana Republican State Committee

• • “Rule 1-24. A “Qualified Primary Republican” is a voter who cast Republican Party ballot at the two (2) most recent primary elections in Indiana in which the voter voted, and who is a Republican in Good-Standing.”  (1)
  • “Rule 1-25. The term “Republican in Good-Standing” shall be defined as a Republican who supports Republican nominees and who does not actively or openly support another candidate against a Republican nominee.”

    • (1)  This law does not mean the candidate must have voted in the two (2) most chronologically recent primary elections and requested a Democratic or Republican ballot; instead, the person’s vote history must demonstrate that the last two (2) primary elections in which the person voted must align with the party the candidate seeks to affiliate in the primary election. For example, if a candidate pulled a Republican Party primary ballot in 2019, did not vote in the 2020 and 2022 primary elections, and requested a Republican Party primary ballot in 2023, then this candidate meets the requirements set forth in state law to file a declaration of candidacy (CAN-2) for the Republican Party primary without attaching the chair’s certification.  Ref: Indiana SOS, 2024 Indiana Candidate Guide.

Additional Information:

• • 2024 County Primary – Candidate Requirements, Notes

  • Brown County Republican Party (GOP) – Organization, Governance, Precincts

  • Local GOP – Controversial Post on Facebook