The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency appeal to let Samuel Ronan run in an Ohio GOP congressional primary after he was kicked off the ballot for being a secret Democrat.  

None of the justices noted any dissent from the denial and, as typical for such shadow docket orders, the court did not provide any explanation.

Ronan previously ran unsuccessfully for chair of the Democratic National Committee. Ahead of the primary for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, Ronan declared his candidacy as a Republican, attested to his membership in that party and affirmed his intent to support and abide by that party’s principles. The Franklin County Board of Elections certified his candidacy in February. 

Ronan wanted to run against the district’s current representative, Mike Carey. 

A Republican voter protested Ronan’s candidacy to the board on the grounds that he wasn’t really a Republican. The board split along party lines, and Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose broke the tie against Ronan, disqualifying him from the ballot. 

Ohio’s chief federal trial judge, Sarah Morrison, ruled against Ronan, reasoning that the state’s interest in administering its elections outweighs what she called the minimal burden on his First Amendment rights. “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,” the Trump-appointed judge wrote. A three-judge appellate panel of GOP appointees declined to put Ronan on the ballot. 

He appealed to the Supreme Court alongside Ana Cordero, who wants to vote for him. “The First Amendment violation in this case warrants immediate injunctive relief,” they wrote in an emergency application. They argued Ronan was removed from the GOP primary ballot “based solely on the content of his political speech” and that he lied when he swore he was a Republican who intended to abide by Republican principles. 

“But Applicant Ronan did not lie,” they maintained in the high court application. 

The Republican-led Ohio Attorney General’s Office opposed Supreme Court relief, writing that there was “just one problem” with Ronan’s bid to run as a Republican: “He is a Democrat.” 

In their final reply brief to the justices, Ronan and Cordero argued that keeping him off the ballot would set a dangerous precedent.

“The risk here is large,” they wrote. “Candidates from all parties should censor their speech lest they be accused of political dishonesty.”

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