This is what competitive elections do: create accountability where there hasn't been any before. Our presence has already changed the trajectory of this race. Both parties are now adjusting because of the Ballard campaign.
The same Republicans who just months ago proudly endorsed Diego Morales have suddenly determined he’s not fit to be their party's nominee. His issues were not a secret, but party insiders have been more concerned about protecting the Indiana GOP than the good people of this state. Sadly, that has not changed.
On the Democratic side, Beau Bayh acknowledged in an interview released today that “[Secretary of State] really should be a nonpartisan role” and that “one of the biggest problems in our politics... is the strident partisanship that we've seen kind of grip our politics.”
He also said, “We are trying to... have an independent voice in our Statehouse.” If he keeps talking like that, he might start getting mistaken for a slightly more handsome version of me.
I’m proud that my campaign is already changing the conversation and creating the accountability Hoosiers so desperately need. Our team is more energized than ever.
There’s been a lot of talk about the number of signatures I need to get on the ballot this November: 36,943.
Most Hoosiers have no idea how that compares to what it takes to run statewide as an independent in surrounding or similar states. It’s pretty interesting.
In all but one state, the 20K+ we’ve already collected would put us on the ballot comfortably.
SURROUNDING STATES
Indiana (pop. 6.9M) 36,943
Illinois (pop. 12.7M) 25,000
Michigan (pop. 10.1M) 12,000
Ohio (pop. 11.9M) 5,000
Kentucky (pop. 5.6M) 5,000
SIMILAR STATES
Arizona (pop. 7.6M) 11,247
Tennessee (pop. 7.2M) Just 25!
Massachusetts (pop. 7.1M) 10,000
Indiana (pop. 6.9M) 36,943
Maryland (pop. 6.3M) 10,000
Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard needs about 37,000 verified signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot as an independent candidate.
DETAILS: 🔗 https://t.co/b1EIeAZppW
I’m pleased to announce that my campaign has already collected 20,014 signatures to get me on the ballot, a number that is growing every day.
The response from people across the state asking to help with that effort has been so great that we’re launching a new initiative today to make it easier for them to do so.
You can learn more at https://t.co/XFNlpvettu.
I am thrilled to announce that my campaign has raised nearly $290,000 in its first six weeks from donors across the political spectrum.
I have been moved by the support I have received, and by the diversity of those who have given it. The fact that we have raised well over a quarter million dollars in only six weeks tells me that voters are hungry for a rational, practical candidate who is eager to serve.
Independent candidate for Secretary of State Greg Ballard announced today that his campaign has raised $289,807 in its first six weeks, with $115,407.14 cash on hand.
Earlier this week, former Governor Mitch Daniels was asked by @FOX59 if Indiana was ready for an independent candidate like former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard @GregforIndiana, who is running for Secretary of State.
His answer: “[They] might be.”
From this story:
[Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels] said Hoosier voters, tired of strident partisan politics, may be ready to embrace the potential third-party candidacy of former Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, who is running for Secretary of State as an independent.
“Greg is well known, very admirable fella, and I think part of his rationale for making this step and part of his opportunity is the incumbent has a lot of scandal,” said Daniels, reflecting on the track record of Republican Diego Morales.
“It’s clear that the way we’re selecting candidates these days in which the most devoted partisans of each party generally pick the nominees in primaries has clearly led to a number of situations where people say, ‘Are those my choices?’, more and more people indicating when asked that they consider themselves an independent I think there is some opportunity there.”
https://t.co/oRzNXsFHP4
“Recent elections suggest something important: When credible independent candidates run, voters respond. Over the past two election cycles, 244 independent candidates ran for partisan offices in Indiana — and 52% won, including contests once assumed to belong to a major party.
“Indiana voters might soon see that dynamic play out in a major statewide race. Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s decision to run for secretary of state as an independent illustrates how this shift could unfold. His candidacy introduces a competitive statewide race that invites voters across the political spectrum.” https://t.co/MIE9ZzjByL
I’m grateful to the East Chicago NAACP and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for having me speak at their voter forum in the Region earlier this week.
All Secretary of State candidates were invited. One independent and two Democrats participated. Unfortunately, no Republicans running for that office attended.
Ballard told WANE 15 on Monday he would remain in the race no matter who emerged from the GOP and Democratic conventions, where both frontrunners face opposition.
https://t.co/5H89mbAOdt
Former Indianapolis Mayor @GregforIndiana joined me to discuss how his independent run for Secretary of State is about taking on both political parties. https://t.co/2eagAHLU1L
I am running for Secretary of State as an independent. But under Indiana law, the only way for my candidacy to unlock ballot access for other good people in the future – without them needing to collect thousands of signatures – is by listing a party name on the petition forms we are using to gather those signatures.
That party does not exist right now. It will only be established if our campaign reaches the legal threshold for party status in the November election.
Indiana ballots have included independent candidates accompanied by a party name before. As recently as 2024, a presidential candidate appeared on our ballots this way.
Since Abraham Lincoln spent his boyhood in Indiana – where he learned the values of integrity, humility, and unity – we thought “Lincoln Party” was a fitting name for this effort.
Indy Star: “[Indiana Republican Party state chair Lana] Keesling’s reaction to Ballard's entrance to the race focused exclusively on the residency issue, claiming that Ballard ‘spent the past several years living on the East Coast.’
But this is false.”
I’ve been back home in Indiana since 2023, which they could’ve easily discovered in two minutes of Googling before putting out that statement.
It’s sad that the Indiana Republican Party has come to this.
Another reason why I’m running.
https://t.co/ys2fYcUQv5
This kind of nonsense is exactly why I’m running.
We moved back to Indiana in March of 2023 and registered to vote soon thereafter, like any good citizen would.
🚨 Records indicate Ballard voted absentee in Indiana in 2023 and 2024 despite moving to South Carolina in 2021.
It's a FELONY to vote but not "reside in a precinct continuously before a general, municipal, or special election for at least thirty (30) days." Ind. Code § 3-7-13-1.
Unless he moved back to Indiana before October 8, 2023, he's got some explaining to do
Former Indy Mayor Greg Ballard said the growing toxicity in American politics is what pushed him back into public service, and he's setting his sights squarely on the Secretary of State's office. https://t.co/qisu1TqfDM
Former GOP Mayor Greg Ballard, as an independent? The field for Indiana’s secretary of state election just went from fascinating to epic.
Via statehouse insider @kayla_dwyer17
https://t.co/tw6D99eLDT