A new group aimed at encouraging independent candidates in Indiana will launch a statewide ad campaign.

Independent Indiana's ad is meant to highlight the appeal of nonpartisan leaders.

Executive Director Nathan Gotsch said the ad features residents of Huntington — a city led by two-term Mayor Richard Strick, who ran as an independent.

"Letting people know what it feels like to live in a community that's being led by an independent elected official," Gotsch said. "And the people that we're featuring in this ad — they're very open and honest about how amazing that it is."

Gotsch, a former independent congressional candidate, acknowledged that Indiana's straight ticket voting system — where people can press one button to vote for members of a party, rather than looking at each race — is a challenge.

But he said part of Independent Indiana's mission is to let candidates and voters know that running as an independent is a viable option.

"I talk to elected officials all across the state and many of them say to me, 'I don't have the freedom to vote or to legislate or to govern in a way that I think is best for my constituents because I'm feeling the pressure from the parties,'" Gotsch said.

Gotsch said more than 200 independent candidates have run in Indiana over the last two election cycles — and more than half won their races.

Independent Indiana is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, meaning it doesn't have to disclose its donors. Gotsch said it's received donations from people across the political spectrum, including former elected officials.