This opinion piece originally appeared in the Indy Star. You can read the original here.
Running for office wasn’t something I ever set out to do. After serving our country as a Marine for 23 years, in war and in peace, I came home to Indiana, built a career in the private sector and focused on raising my family.
But when I saw my city struggling, I stepped forward and ran for mayor of Indianapolis.
No one thought I could win. I didn’t have the money or the political connections. I wasn’t part of the establishment. I was just someone who believed we could do better.
Together, we did just that.
For eight years in the mayor’s office, we focused on results — navigating the Great Recession while balancing the budget, saving taxpayers and ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars, bringing the Super Bowl to Indiana and forging practical partnerships across party lines.
I ran as a Republican, but I governed for everyone.
Today, things are … different. Both political parties are broken, and we’re the ones paying the price.
When politics becomes this toxic, it’s essential to have an independent voice overseeing our elections. In Indiana, that’s the job of our secretary of state, but the current leadership in that office has shown an eagerness to engage in partisanship.
Candidly, I thought my career in public service had ended, but when you see something this broken and know you can fix it, you step forward.
That’s why I've announced I’m running for Indiana secretary of state, and I’m doing so as an independent.
I did not reach this decision lightly. I have always considered myself a public servant in the best sense of the phrase — someone who believes in doing the right thing for the right reasons, with careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars — and my values haven’t changed.
Frankly, I’m worried about the direction of both parties, a sentiment I share with millions of Hoosiers. In fact, recent polling shows more Indiana voters now identify as independents (41%) than as Republicans (29%) or Democrats (21%).
When it comes to our secretary of state, the office should be mainly focused on one thing: safeguarding the integrity and professionalism of our elections.
Here are two examples of what I will do differently:
First: It’s common for Indiana secretaries of state to endorse, fundraise for and donate to candidates who appear on the very ballots they oversee. Imagine running for office and seeing the official responsible for administering your election publicly backing your opponent. That’s wrong.
If elected, I will not take sides in other state or local races like that. I am the only candidate for secretary of state who has made that commitment.
Second: You have the right to clear, accessible information about who and what is on your ballot. Yet many Hoosiers walk into the voting booth unsure about down-ballot offices or unfamiliar races.
A nonpartisan voter guide from the secretary of state's office mailed before early voting — with plain-language explanations of offices, equal-length candidate statements and a sample ballot — would help all of us to arrive prepared to cast our ballots more quickly and to shorten wait times at the polls.
As secretary of state, I’ll make sure every Hoosier voter gets one.
But those common-sense reforms aren’t the only reason I’m running.
During the past few years, I’ve met so many good people who want to step up and serve like I did, but don’t feel like they have a place in either party. Like me, they’re on the outside looking in.
That’s not how Indiana is supposed to work.
When voters truly have options, our elections are more competitive, our leaders are more accountable and our government works better.
And when good people know they can run – and win – without bending to the most radical voices in our state, more will step forward.
Under Indiana’s rules, our campaign for secretary of state will unlock a place on the ballot for those good people beyond this year.
You have the right to leaders with experience, who serve with integrity, and are committed to making a lasting impact.
Hoosiers should be proud of our elected officials, and I will make you proud. I will not be the Republican or Democratic secretary of state.
I will be your secretary of state.