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# Hope In the Heartland: Independent Greg Ballard on Standing Up to Gerrymandering and the GOP in Indiana
- URL: https://ivn.us/podcasts/hope-in-the-heartland-independent-greg-ballard-on-standing-up-to-gerrymandering-and-the-gop-in-indiana/
- Published: 2026-10-15T14:20:42.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-15T14:20:42.000Z
- Description: It took 37,000 signatures and $700,000 just to get on the ballot. Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard explains why the two-party system is stacked against independents—and how he intends to change it.
- Author: Righteous Media
- Tags: Independent Americans, 2026 Midterms, Veterans, Podcast

Marine colonel and former two-term Republican mayor of Indianapolis Greg Ballard sits down with Paul Rieckhoff to break down why he left the GOP, how he gathered 37,000 signatures and spent $700,000 just to get on the Indiana ballot as an independent for Secretary of State, and why this one race could unlock ballot access for every independent candidate who follows. Ballard explains the math of a rigged two-party system in which 95% of Indiana's state legislature is effectively decided by 10% of voters in May primaries, why 244 independents have run in Indiana's last two cycles with a 52% win rate, and why he refuses to endorse, fundraise for, or go negative on anyone in the race. A groundbreaking entry in the Meet the Independent Candidate series — and a conversation about what it actually takes to break the duopoly from the heartland.

**Get the latest episodes of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff on the podcast's** [**YouTube channel**](https://www.youtube.com/@independentamericans?ref=ivn.us)**.**