INDIANAPOLIS — The Lincoln Party will require its candidates and party officials to sign and uphold a written Statement of Principles instead of adopting a traditional policy platform, party Chair Nathan Gotsch announced Wednesday.
“The Lincoln Party will be built around principles, not a platform that tells candidates where they have to stand on every issue,” Gotsch said in a statement. “That doesn’t mean our candidates won’t have clear positions on issues. Quite the opposite. It will be their job to tell voters where they stand and what policies they want to advance to solve the problems facing their communities.”
The party does not yet have formal standing. According to the release, it will be established after the November election if former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, its nominee for Secretary of State, receives at least 2% of the vote.
Ballard is in a four-way race with Republican Max Engling, Democrat Beau Bayh and Libertarian Lauri Shillings. A Tarrance Group poll commissioned by Hoosier Leadership for America and released last week showed Engling at 38%, Bayh at 37%, Shillings at 6% and Ballard at 5%.
The Statement of Principles is organized around three commitments: the foundational ideals of American democracy, standards for governing in the public interest, and expectations for serving with integrity and humility.
Under the first commitment, signers pledge to uphold equality, liberty, the will of the people and the rule of law. The “will of the people” section includes honoring the lawful results of elections and supporting the peaceful transfer of power.
The second commitment lists five governing standards: putting people first, effective government, what the party calls “freedom to rise” through free enterprise and competitive markets, fiscal stewardship, and evidence-based problem solving.
The third commitment covers honesty and accountability, ethical conduct, service over self, and respectful engagement. The ethical conduct section states there will be no tolerance for sexual harassment, financial impropriety or other abuses of power. The respectful engagement section asks signers to refrain from personal attacks on those who disagree with them.
Candidates and party officials who violate the statement will face an accountability process to be spelled out in the party’s governing rules, with consequences based on the nature and severity of the violation, according to the release. The release did not say who would administer that process or what penalties could apply.
The party pointed to independent candidates as a model for running without a platform. Citing a 2025 report from Independent Indiana, the release said 244 independent candidates appeared on ballots in partisan races across the state in 2023 and 2024, and 52% of them won.
“The Lincoln Party’s job is simple: find good people, hold them to a clear standard, and let them make their case to voters,” Gotsch said.
According to the party, it is being formed to make it easier for qualified independent candidates to run for office in Indiana. The name references Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Indiana from age 7 to 21. The party also noted Lincoln ran as a Whig, helped build the Republican Party and sought reelection in 1864 as the nominee of the National Union Party.
The full Statement of Principles is posted at thelincolnparty.org.
