(Indianapolis, IN) – Former Republican Mayor of Indianapolis Greg Ballard is running for Indiana Secretary of State as an Independent.
In a video posted to social media on Wednesday, Ballard said he’s not running to be the Republican or Democratic Secretary of State, but to be “your Secretary of State.”
“When politics becomes this toxic, it’s essential to have an independent voice overseeing our elections,” Ballard said.
Ballard joins a field running for this office that includes Republican incumbent Diego Morales and presumptive Democratic challenger Beau Bayh.
Ballard said the current leadership in the Secretary of State office has “engaged in partisan politics.”
“This office must not be partisan,” said Ballard. “It should be mainly focused on one thing: safeguarding the integrity and professionalism of our elections.”
In a poll from Independent Indiana conducted from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, 2025, Ballard came in third among the three candidates in the race for Secretary of State at 23.8%. Bayh received 31.5% of support in the poll, with Morales trailing at 28.5%. The poll showed that 16.3% of voters were undecided.
Indiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Tallian released the following statement on Wednesday about Ballard’s entry to the Secretary of State’s race:
“Even Republicans are embarrassed by Diego Morales. From spending our tax dollars on luxury SUVs, hiring his brother-in-law into the office with a 6-figure salary, handing out bonuses, and giving out more no-bid contracts than any other official in state history, Morales has been an embarrassment in every way. It is time for him to go.
“In normal times, a lifelong Republican like Ballard would challenge Morales at their convention, but these are not normal times. Running another Republican as an Independent is a waste of time, money, and effort better spent defeating Diego Morales at the ballot box and electing a new leader to deliver for the people of Indiana.”
Democratic candidate Beau Bayh said as a fellow Marine, he appreciates Ballard’s service to our country and the city, but he believes his campaign is the only one that can replace the current office holder.
“This race is a referendum on Diego Morales’s tenure as Secretary of State and we are building the only campaign that can defeat him, put an end to the blatant corruption, and restore the office to all Hoosiers,” said Bayh.
Indiana Republican Party Chairwoman Lana Keesling also weighed in on Ballard’s candidacy.
“Competition can make the quality of our candidates even better, however it is hard not to notice that, Greg Ballard, the newest entrant into the race for Secretary of State, has spent the past several years living on the East Coast, much like Beau Bayh,” Keesling said. Between Beau Bayh attending high school in Georgetown while voting in Indiana and Greg Ballard deciding to retire in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Hoosiers deserve candidates who are not holding a moving box in one arm while gathering signatures in the other.”
Secretary Morales had not commented as of Thursday.
Ballard served two terms as Mayor of Indianapolis beginning in 2008. Before that, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 23 years.
(Story by Network Indiana)
