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A new initiative—Independent Indiana—launched Tuesday to help spotlight and provide resources to Hoosiers who are running, and winning, as independents.
The idea began when Executive Director Nathan Gotsch, himself a 2022 independent candidate for Congress, dug into election results across the state.
“In 2023 and 2024, 244 independent candidates qualified for partisan races,” Gotsch said in a news release. “More than half of them—52%—won. Those results point to something real happening in Indiana politics.”
Independents aren’t just running for local offices. More are aiming higher, from countywide seats to the state legislature and even Congress. Nearly a third of independents who lost in 2023-2024 still received 30-49% of the vote.
The initiative highlighted some successful independents. In Huntington, Mayor Richard Strick left the GOP and won twice as an independent. In Bedford, Shawna Girgis served three terms as an independent mayor. And in Lewisville, former Republican state lawmaker Tom Saunders serves on the town council as an independent.
That lines up with an analysis by the Independent Voter Project of Hoosier voters’ partisan leanings.
Based on data from L2, a nonpartisan provider, nearly 44% of registered voters in Indiana are independents—compared with about 31% who are Republicans and 25% who are Democrats. Because Indiana does not register voters by party, those figures are estimated based on recent partisan primary participation and supplemented with modeling analytics, the release said.
Gotsch said “we’re proud to have financial support from multiple Hoosiers–both Republican and Democrat–who’ve seen the negative consequences of not having competitive elections in our state and believe in our mission to change that.”
He also runs Fort Wayne Politics, a free email newsletter about what’s happening behind the scenes in state and local politics.
Independent candidates in Indiana face high barriers, however.
To get on the ballot, candidates must collect petition signatures from registered voters equal to 2% of the most recent secretary of state vote in their district. For a statewide race, that means nearly 37,000 signatures—closer to 50,000 in practice once rejections are factored in. With paid circulators charging at least $15 per valid signature, ballot access for a statewide independent candidate can cost more than $700,000.
“These successful independents prove that voters will cross party lines when given the choice,” Gotsch said. “Independent Indiana exists to shine a spotlight on that success, develop educational resources for prospective candidates, and study what reforms are needed so independents can compete at every level of government.”
The initiative’s launch includes a statewide billboard campaign in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and northwest Indiana—and two September events:
- Independent Leadership in Indiana (Monday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., Tinker House Events in Indianapolis)
Hear from Strick, Saunders, and Girgis on their experience running as independents and what their experiences mean for Indiana’s future.
Registration required at independentindiana.org. - Lessons for Indiana from the National Independent Movement (Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.–virtual).
A conversation with former Forward Party national organizing director Will Conway and ballot access expert Christopher Thrasher about how to run outside the two-party system—and how Indiana’s rules for independents compare to those in other states. Registration required at independentindiana.org.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
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