Ballard to run under 'Lincoln Party' name in independent bid for Indiana secretary of state

Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard announced Wednesday that his independent campaign for Indiana secretary of state will use a “Lincoln Party” label as part of an effort that could eventually establish a new political party in the state.

Ballard, a lifelong Republican who earlier this month launched a statewide bid as an independent, is currently collecting the roughly 37,000 voter signatures required to appear on Indiana’s November ballot. Petition forms for the campaign will now list the affiliation “Lincoln Party.”

In a campaign statement, Ballard’s team said listing a party name on the petitions is the only way his candidacy could potentially establish a new ballot line for future candidates.

“Mayor Greg Ballard is running for Secretary of State as an independent, but due to Indiana law, the only way for his candidacy to unlock ballot access for other good people like him in the future — without the onerous signature requirements currently imposed on independent candidates — is to list the name of a party on the petition forms used to collect signatures,” the statement said.

Nathan Gotsch, executive director of Independent Indiana — a group aimed at supporting independent political candidates in Indiana —  also doubled down that “Ballard is and will be an independent candidate.”

But the campaign cannot use the name “Independent Party,” Gotsch said in a Thursday post on X, because Indiana law prohibits a party label that could be confused with an independent candidate appearing on the ballot for the same office.

The party would not formally exist unless Ballard qualifies for the ballot and meets a vote threshold in November after the election results are certified.

Ballard said the name reflects Indiana’s connection to Abraham Lincoln, who spent much of his early life in the state.

“Given that Abraham Lincoln spent his boyhood in Indiana, where he learned the values of unity, integrity, and bringing people together, the campaign felt ‘Lincoln Party’ was an appropriate name for this effort,” Ballard’s campaign said.

Candidates not affiliated with one of the major political parties have previously been on Indiana ballots with other parties listed next to their names.

Ballard’s campaign has not outlined a detailed platform for the proposed party. The former mayor, however, has been critical of the nation’s two-party political system and said his candidacy is aimed in part at giving voters additional options.

If incumbent Secretary of State Diego Morales secures the Republican nomination, Ballard would face him — along with Democratic and Libertarian challengers — in the November general election.

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