Indiana secretary of state hopeful and former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard had a close call on the campaign trail.
Ballard was almost involved in a crash at East 65th Street and Allisonville Road on the northeast side. Ballard was on his way to a campaign event in Pike Township when another driver ran a red light and struck another vehicle, according to a campaign worker.
Joe Garrison, Ballard’s social media manager who was driving behind him, posted about the crash on Facebook. He said Ballard would have been hit had he not paused.
No one was seriously injured, though Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Indianapolis Fire Department officials were on the scene and the driver who was hit was checked over at a nearby hospital.
Ballard stuck around after the crash to check on those involved and to direct cars through the intersection.
The retired Marine lieutenant colonel said he did what anyone would have done in the situation.
“It wasn’t a heroic action by any stretch of the imagination,” Ballard told IndyStar. “Just the common sense thing to do.”
An unnamed representative with IMPD was unable to immediately answer questions about the intersection and told IndyStar to file a public records request.
Ballard is running as an independent under the Lincoln Party ticket in what’s becoming a high-profile secretary of state race. He faces Democratic nominee Beau Bayh, Libertarian nominee Lauri Schillings and Republican nominee Max Engling, a staffer for U.S. Sen. Jim Banks who secured the nomination ahead of incumbent Diego Morales.
In order for Ballard’s name to appear on the ballot, he needs 37,000 signatures on a petition for his candidacy. Campaign volunteers and staffers collected signatures at 13 locations across Indiana Saturday, and Ballard was traveling to different signing spots to speak with voters.
Ballard’s campaign announced June 20 that the petition gathered more than 52,000 signatures, though election officials have yet to verify the signatures. Ballard must submit his petition for nomination by June 30.
The Hamilton County Republican Party alleged that 10 of those signatures, filed by a former Ballard campaign volunteer, were fraudulent. Ballard’s campaign characterized the former volunteer as a “rogue individual.” Ballard was also fined $450 for filing donation reports late.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Greg Ballard’s vehicle was almost struck while campaigning for secretary of state
Reporting by Heather Bushman, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Heather Bushman, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
