A Democrat trying to pass himself off as a Republican was slammed for his trickery in Indiana. The sneaky candidate is running in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in Indiana despite being outed as a longtime Democrat voter.

His trickery was exposed and there are challenges to his eligibility on the ballot. This hasn’t stopped him from escalating his underhanded campaign to new levels. Instead of focusing on the issues, he is attacking his GOP opponent and using someone else’s likeness in the political assault.

This Democrat stepped into a hornet’s nest when he dragged former President Donald Trump into the mix. Trump values his name, his brand, above pretty much anything but his family. Democrat John Rust should have thought about that before using Trump’s likeness in a political ad attacking Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN).

From Breitbart:
A Trump campaign spokesman, asked by Breitbart News for a response to Rust’s ad, said he should “cease and desist” using any likeness of Trump in any of his campaign ads and reiterated Trump’s endorsement of Banks for Senate.

The ad repeatedly flashes images of Trump as Rust compares himself to the former president. The ad also shows images of Banks while Rust denounces Banks as not aligning with Trump. The ad is available on Rust’s X account.

At no time has Trump endorsed Rust. Banks is the Trump-endorsed candidate in the GOP primary. House member Banks is a longtime ally of Trump in Congress and the former chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC).

“Any other candidate using President Trump’s name, image, or likeness to purposely deceive voters must immediately cease and desist,” a Trump campaign spokesman said. “President Trump looks forward to working with a future Senator Banks in 2025 to accomplish incredible things for the Great State of Indiana and our country.”

Trump considers Banks a friend and is the only candidate in the race endorsed by the former president. Rust showed he was proud of his ad’s content by keeping it up on X, formerly known as Twitter, in the face of cease and desist demands from Trump’s team.

Banks is running for the Senate seat that opened when Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) decided to run for governor of Indiana. Trump is such a strong supporter of Banks’ Senate run that he backed his friend a year ago.

Rust, who has family ties to an egg empire accused in an antitrust lawsuit of inflating egg prices, decided to take on Banks. Rust’s eligibility has been questioned because of his longtime status as a registered Democrat.

Imitation may be considered the sincerest form of flattery but not when it’s used against you or your allies. A strong image is a valuable asset in business and politics. It’s good to see Trump pouncing on this imitator who needs to be shut down.

Key Takeaways:

• Team Trump slammed a Senate candidate with a cease-and-desist order.
• A longtime Democrat running as a Republican used Trump’s image in an ad.
• Trump endorsed Jim Banks to help him keep GOP control of the Senate seat.

Source: Breitbart