South Carolina Supreme Court Keeps Danny Ford on Republican Primary Ballot

Posted on by August 6, 2026
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On August 5, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued an order in Ford v South Carolina Republican Party, 2026-001729.  It keeps Danny Ford on the August 11 Republican primary ballot for U.S. Senate.  The Republican Party had excluded him because the party believed he had violated a new party rule, which says that candidates cannot appear on a Republican primary ballot if they didn’t vote in at least two of the last three Republican statewide primaries.  The lower court put Ford on the ballot.

The Supreme Court said it will decide the issue later, but in the meantime it believed removing Ford at this late date would create too much chaos.  Here is the order.

New Jersey State Trial Court Says Parties Cannot Nominate a Member of Another Party Using Write-ins in Primary

Posted on by August 6, 2026
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On August 5, a New Jersey state trial court ruled that Bryan Lasater can’t be the Republican nominee for a seat on the Burlington Township Council, even though he won the Republican primary on write-ins.  Lasater was a registered Democrat on election day (which was June 2, 2026) but he has since re-registered as a Republican.

New Jersey law does not say that a write-in winner in a primary can be disqualified on the basis of his or her party membership.  It is common in other states to allow the practice.  In Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, it is fairly common for write-in candidates to win party nominations, even though the winner is not a registered member of the party.  That is how those four states have limited versions of fusion.

See this story.