Op/Ed: Court gives landmark ballot access victory to John Rust and all Hoosiers
The political establishment, whether in Indiana or in Washington D.C., has been running our nation into the ground.
There is a fierce desire to maintain the status quo by securing their established power structure at all costs. This has created a dynamic where the insiders will do anything to silence any dissent or threat to their authority. This takes priority over serious issues facing our nation. An open border. A crumbling economy. Inflation. Crime. Growing foreign threats. To them it’s all one big game of control.
We all feel this every day. It doesn’t take a political genius to see what’s going on, as much as the establishment tries to muddy the waters. I decided to run for the U.S. Senate to upend that power structure and provide leadership that is focused on Hoosiers and Americans first, rather than nurturing political ambitions. And from the moment I announced my candidacy, I became the target of the slings and arrows of the political elite.
I firmly believe that Indiana voters deserve a choice for who will be their next senator. But because of the pathetic record of Jim Banks, he and his insider accomplices have been doing everything in their power to block my access to the ballot so that he can walk into the Senate with no questions asked. Banks and his puppet master Mitch McConnell are that scared of me. In my opinion, not only is this attempt unconstitutional, it is a slap in the face to Hoosier voters.
In September, I filed a lawsuit showing how an Indiana law that was being used to bar me from being on the May ballot was unconstitutional. According to a PEW Research study and data from the Indiana Secretary of State’s office, under this current law, over 80% of Hoosiers are ineligible to run for office.
Our argument was based on the facts that we believe this law is a violation of both the Indiana Constitution and the United States Constitution. It was designed to give power and control to political parties, rather than reserving that control to the people and their right to cast a meaningful vote.
Yes, I am fighting hard so that I can be on the ballot. But I’ve always known this was much bigger and more consequential than just my race. It is a landmark ruling for the rights of all Hoosiers.
The 17th amendment to the United States Constitution exclusively gives the power to elect United States senators to the people... NOT the state legislators or party apparatus. This law that barred me from running for the United States Senate was found to be unconstitutional and against the direct wishes of our constitution. As the judge noted in his ringing landmark decision: “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision.'' This is a direct quote from Abraham Lincoln… another farmer who grew up in southern Indiana.
During the trial, the political establishment showed their true colors. Their attorneys made the fantastic claim that I, and thereby any Indiana voter, have no right to associate with the Republican Party. Rather, that the Republican Party has the exclusive right to determine who they associate with. Essentially, they are saying that complete control lies with the party, not with the people or with voters who pay for the process.
Earlier this month, the court ruled decisively in our favor. They deemed that the voters get to choose who our elected officials are… not the state or party.
This is a landmark victory for the people of Indiana. We’ve taken power away from parties and given it back to “We The People.”
Now, more than ever, we need people who will go to Washington and stand up to the political establishment. We took on the insiders here in Indiana and delivered a victory for the people. I’m committed to doing the same when I’m elected as your next United States senator.
John Rust is a sixth generation farmer, conservative businessman, and political outsider who was born and raised in Indiana. He is from Seymour, Indiana and is a candidate for the United States Senate.