Ohio truck driver Scott Rupert has successfully filed to appear on the Ohio U.S. Senate ballot as an independent candidate this November to run against Republican incumbent Rob Portman and Democratic challenger Ted Strickland. Rupert also ran as an independent for the office in 2012 and garnered 4.6 percent of the vote in a race won by Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown over state Treasurer Josh Mandel. That marked the third best showing by an independent U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio history out of 14 such candidates to appear on the ballot over the last century during the direct election era. Only conservative Joseph Slovenec in 1994 (7.3 percent) and liberal Martha Grevatt in 1992 (6.7 percent) turned in stronger performances as independents than Rupert’s first bid. In each of these three races the margin of victory was larger than the support given to the independent candidate.

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