As Democrats struggle to find popular messages with voters, another case of a Democrat candidate running as a Republican quickly reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which prevented the candidate from being on the ballot. "I'm glad that people are paying attention because this same game may be coming to your state," Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose told Just The News.

The Ohio case is the latest instance of a Democrat parading as a Republican, with recent similar cases in North Carolina and Texas. Samuel Ronan, whose case LaRose referred to as "political transgenderism," attempted to run in a Republican primary for Ohio's 15th Congressional District in the 2026 cycle.

His candidacy against incumbent GOP Rep. Mike Carey, required him to sign a sworn declaration of candidacy under penalty of election falsification affirming he was a member of the Republican Party and intended to support its principles. 

Pretending to be Republican: Urges Democrats to "infiltrate Republican spaces" 

His campaign website presented him as a Republican advocating for a diversity of political issues like border security, cost-of-living reforms, universal health care, and job training.

However, Ronan faced a formal protest from a Republican voter who argued he was not a bona fide Republican. Evidence included Ronan's past public statements urging "leftists" or Democrats to "infiltrate Republican spaces," "primary them," and run as Republicans in "deep red districts" to "get a foot in the door." 

Court documents highlighted these as part of a calculated strategy rather than a genuine party switch, even as Ronan tried to justify his switch as a political shift similar to President Donald Trump, former President Ronald Reagan and others. 

LaRose recognized that in instances like Trump and Reagan, genuine shifts can happen, but voters must be vigilant of cases where it's solely for political expediency or strategy. 

"We're a big tent party. We welcome former Democrats who have been left behind by their party. I think we've all seen the Elon Musks drawing on how the Democrat Party moved so far left that they left many people like him behind. If you're a former Democrat who has changed your ways, and now you're a Republican, you're more than welcome."

However, LaRose recognized how delicate the issue can be: "Party loyalty is a hard thing to prove. Do you make somebody hike up their sleeve and show their elephant tattoo on their arm?" However, this case, according to LaRose, was a "slam dunk." 

Ronan sued in federal court, arguing that his sworn declaration (made under penalty of election falsification) that he was a member of the Republican Party and would support its principles if elected, should have been accepted at face value, without election officials or courts second-guessing his sincerity based on his past statements or political history. 

A federal judge initially issued a temporary restraining order keeping his name on early ballots, but later ruled against him, finding he had lied about his party affiliation and that the state had a strong interest in preventing fraudulent declarations. 

The Sixth Circuit upheld the disqualification, and on April 10, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Ronan's emergency appeal without comment or noted dissent, leaving him off the Republican primary ballot for the May 5 election.

Ronan previously ran for office as a Democrat — including a bid for the Ohio House in 2016 and a high-profile (though unsuccessful) campaign for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017. 

Barr openly admitted she was a "fake Republican"

In North Carolina, Kate Barr, a lifelong Democrat and self-described progressive who had previously run for office as a Democrat (including in 2024 for state Senate), filed to run in the 2026 Republican primary for the U.S. House seat held by longtime Republican Rep. Tim Moore. North Carolina's 14th District is a republican stronghold, making the GOP primary the only realistic path to victory. 

Barr openly campaigned as a "fake Republican," telling voters that she was not a real Republican, had always voted Democrat, and was entering the Republican primary solely as a strategic move. In campaign videos and interviews, she stated things like: "I’m not a real Republican [...] I’m running as a progressive in a Republican primary because that is where the actual competition happens in our gerrymandered district."

Amanda Head is the White House correspondent for Just The News. You can follow her here.