Initiative focused on returning competitive elections to Indiana announces statewide launch
Initiative focused on returning competitive elections to Indiana announces statewide launch
FORT WAYNE, IN, September 2, 2025 – Indiana has become a one-party state, where most elections are effectively decided in the primary. A new initiative, Independent Indiana, is launching today to help change that by spotlighting and providing resources to the surprisingly large number of Hoosiers who are running — and winning — as independents.
The idea began when Independent Indiana executive director Nathan Gotsch, himself a 2022 independent candidate for Congress, dug into election results across the state and found some surprising results.
“In 2023 and 2024, 244 independent candidates qualified for partisan races,” Gotsch said. “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 and more are campaigning for larger offices — from countywide seats to the state legislature and even Congress — and some are proving more competitive than many realize. Nearly a third of independents who lost in 2023–2024 still received 30–49% of the vote.
From Huntington, where Mayor Richard Strick left the GOP and won twice as an independent, to Bedford, where Shawna Girgis served three terms as an independent mayor, to Lewisville, where former Republican state lawmaker Tom Saunders now serves on the town council as an independent — independents are finding success across Indiana.
That lines up with an analysis by the Independent Voter Project of Hoosier voters’ partisan leanings. Based on data from L2, a trusted nonpartisan provider, nearly 44% of registered voters in Indiana are independents — compared to about 31% who are Republicans and 25% who are Democrats. (Because Indiana does not register voters by party, these figures are estimated based on recent partisan primary participation and supplemented with modeling analytics.)
These victories came despite independents in Indiana facing some of the highest barriers in the country. 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, September 22 at 7 PM ET, Tinker House Events (Indianapolis).
Hear from Strick, Saunders, and Girgis on their experience running as independents and what their successes mean for Indiana’s future.
Registration required at independentindiana.org.Lessons for Indiana from the National Independent Movement
Thursday, September 18 at 7 PM ET (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.
Independent Indiana invites Hoosiers interested in learning more about independent leadership or exploring a run for office themselves to visit independentindiana.org to sign up for updates and register for those events.
# # #
Independent Indiana Media Kit
Fact Sheets
Graphics
Photos
Billboard in Fort Wayne (September 1, 2025)
Executive director Nathan Gotsch in a meeting for Independent Indiana in Fort Wayne (August 26, 2025)
Independent mayor of Huntington Richard Strick talks with a constituent downtown (August 19, 2025)
Headshots