In age of Trump, Democrats resort to running as faux Republicans to ‘get a foot in the door’
Stalking horses or sincere concerns with issues? Democrats are running as Republicans with increasing frequency as their polling shows that many of their hallmark issues are not popular with voters. Ronan's past public statements urged Democrats to "infiltrate Republican spaces," "primary them," and run as Republicans in "deep red districts" to "get a foot in the door."
By Amanda Head
Published: April 16, 2026 10:55pm
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.
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https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/age-trump-democrats-resort-running-faux-republicans-get-foot-door