Indiana’s fledgling Lincoln Party released a statement of principles on Wednesday, a move made as the party seeks to gain automatic statewide ballot access for its nominees. This ballot access hinges on its Secretary of State candidate, former Republican Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, topping 2% of the vote in the upcoming fall election.
Lincoln Party Chair Nathan Gotsch, who also manages Ballard’s campaign, stated that the party’s creation is intended to simplify the process for independent candidates to run for office. According to Gotsch, this would eliminate the current requirement for independent candidates to gather petition signatures to appear on election ballots.
Gotsch announced that all Lincoln Party candidates and party officials will be required to sign and uphold these newly released principles. The statement outlines broad commitments, such as ensuring that government protects the rights of all people equally and meeting standards for governing in the public interest.
Gotsch explained that the Lincoln Party is designed to be guided by principles rather than a rigid platform dictating candidates' stances on every issue. He further clarified that this approach does not mean candidates will lack clear positions. Instead, Gotsch said, it will be the candidates' responsibility to articulate their stances to voters and propose policies to address community issues.
The statement of principles drew immediate critique from Libertarian candidate Lauri Shillings. Shillings described the Lincoln Party’s statement as "establishing a bare minimum standard." She characterized it as more of a code of conduct than a policy platform, noting that pretty much every political party, every elected or appointed official, and anyone else who holds an office job already adheres to something very similar. Shillings concluded that she did not consider the release newsworthy.
Republican candidate Max Engling has previously criticized Ballard and the Lincoln Party for not taking clear stances on issues such as taxes, social matters, and other policies. Engling previously stated that the Lincoln Party presented voters with a blank slate of future support for what it deemed “high-quality candidates” without a stated ideology. He expressed that this approach conveyed nothing about the party's actual positions. Engling’s campaign did not provide an immediate comment on Wednesday regarding the Lincoln Party’s announcement.
Democratic candidate Beau Bayh's campaign also declined to comment on Wednesday. The pursuit of automatic statewide ballot access by the Lincoln Party comes in a political landscape where the Libertarian Party has successfully retained such access since 1994. The Libertarian Party achieved this by consistently surpassing the 2% vote threshold in the Secretary of State election every four years.
