Potential Republican U.S. Senate candidate Danny Ford II is suing the South Carolina Republican Party after being disqualified from the ballot under a new party rule.
The lawsuit stems from a special Republican primary scheduled following U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham's death on July 11.
According to WIS-TV, Ford, who recently ran in the Republican primary for South Carolina commissioner of agriculture, filed to run for the Senate seat but was disqualified under the state GOP's new Rule 11(a)(6).
The rule, adopted earlier this summer, requires candidates to have voted in two of the last three Republican primaries.
Ford argues the rule is unconstitutional because only the South Carolina General Assembly can establish qualifications for candidates seeking office.
A judge granted Ford a temporary restraining order. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday morning in Columbia.