Former Rose Acre Farms Chairman John Rust will not be allowed to run for a seat in the United States Senate, per a unanimous decision by the Indiana Election Commission.
Rust, in August 2023, announced his intent to run to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate, vying for the seat currently being held by Mike Braun, who is not seeking election.
Rust filed for election as a Republican, which became an early source of controversy. A state law requires that for a person to run for office as a member of a particular political party, he or she would have to had voted as a member of that party during the two most recent primary elections. The two most recent times he voted in a primary were in 2016 as a Republican, and in 2012 as a Democrat. Rust earlier said his beliefs are more aligned with the Republican party, but he had earlier registered as a Democrat to vote for a friend who was running as a member of that party.
According to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, the election commission voted on February 27 against allowing Rust’s name on the ballot. That leaves only Jim Banks, currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as the only Republican candidate on the ballot for Braun’s seat. Rust filed a lawsuit to get on the ballot in September, and earlier in February, he announced that he had obtained more than the required amount of signatures to get on the ballot.
Banks has already been vocal about Rust, alleging that Rust was dishonest during his tenure as chairman of Rose Acre Farms, accusing him of egg price gouging. Rust dismissed Banks’ allegations.
Rust stepped down as chairman of Rose Acre Farms in September 2023, with the company stating that his term as chairman had been completed and he was now free to focus his energy on his Senate campaign. His brother, Marcus Rust, was named the new chairman.
