Lincoln Party puts out statement of principles, which foe calls ‘bare minimum’

After facing criticism for lacking any policy platform, Indiana’s fledgling Lincoln Party released Wednesday what it called a statement of principles.

The Lincoln Party’s platform is at issue because it will gain automatic statewide ballot access for its nominees if its secretary of state candidate, former Republican Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, tops 2% of the vote in this fall’s election.

Lincoln Party Chair Nathan Gotsch says the party’s creation is aimed at making it easier for independent candidates to run for office without having to gather petition signatures to appear on election ballots.

Gotsch, who is Ballard’s campaign manager, said in a statement that all Lincoln Party candidates and party officials will be required to sign and uphold the statement of principles.

Those include broad strokes such as “ensuring that government protects the rights of all people equally” and meeting “standards for governing in the public interest.”

“The Lincoln Party will be built around principles, not a platform that tells candidates where they have to stand on every issue,” Gotsch said. “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.”

Republican candidate Max Engling has faulted Ballard and the Lincoln Party for a lack of stances on taxes, social issues and other policies.

Engling’s campaign did not immediately comment Wednesday on the Lincoln Party’s announcement. 

He previously criticized the Lincoln Party as presenting voters a blank slate of future support for what it regards as “high-quality candidates” without any stated ideology.

“To me, that says nothing about what they stand for,” Engling said.

Democratic candidate Beau Bayh’s campaign declined to comment Wednesday.

The Libertarian Party has retained automatic ballot access by topping the 2% mark in secretary of state voting every four years since 1994.

Libertarian candidate Lauri Shillings knocked the Lincoln Party statement as “establishing a bare minimum standard.”

“What the Lincoln Party released is a code of conduct,” Shillings said. “It’s nice, but it isn’t a policy platform, and I don’t think it’s news. Pretty much every political party, every elected or appointed official and anyone else who holds an office job already adheres to something very similar.”