2026 Indiana Secretary of State election
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November 3, 2026
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| Elections in Indiana |
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The 2026 Indiana Secretary of State election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the secretary of state of Indiana. Incumbent Republican secretary of state Diego Morales ran for re-election; however, he was eliminated at the Republican convention by Max Engling.[1][2]
Republican convention
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Max Engling, aide to U.S. Senator Jim Banks, former aide to then-U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, candidate for Indiana's 5th congressional district in 2024[3]
Eliminated at convention
[edit]- Diego Morales, incumbent secretary of state (2023–present)[1]
- Jamie Reitenour, businesswoman and candidate for governor in 2024[4]
- David Shelton, Knox County Clerk (2019–present), chair of the Knox County Republican Party (2022–present), and candidate for Secretary of State in 2022[5]
Declined
[edit]- Kyle Conrad, former Newton County Clerk[6]
- Andrew Ireland, state representative from the 90th district (2024–present) (endorsed Engling, running for re-election)[3]
Endorsements
[edit]Max Engling
- U.S. senators
- Jim Banks, U.S. senator from Indiana (2025–present) and former IN-03 (2017–2023)[7]
- U.S. representatives
- Jim Baird, IN-04 (2019–present)[8]
- Erin Houchin, IN-09 (2023–present)[7]
- Victoria Spartz, IN-05 (2021–present)[8]
- Statewide officials
- Daniel Elliott, treasurer of Indiana (2023–present)[9]
- State legislators
- Andrew Ireland, state representative from the 90th district (2024–present)[3]
Diego Morales
- U.S. senators
Jim Banks, U.S. senator from Indiana (2025–present) and former IN-03 (2017–2023)(endorsement rescinded; later endorsed Engling)[7]
- Statewide officials
Todd Rokita, attorney general of Indiana (2021–present)(endorsement rescinded)[10]
- Organizations
David Shelton
- Statewide officials
- Connie Lawson, former secretary of state of Indiana (2012–2021)[12]
Declined to endorse
- Statewide officials
- Micah Beckwith, lieutenant governor of Indiana (2025–present)[13]
- Mike Braun, governor of Indiana (2025–present) and former senator (2019–2025)[13]
Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of April 15, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Diego Morales (R) | $1,294,160 | $95,042 | $1,199,118 |
| Jamie Reitenour(R) | $2,980 | $79 | $2,900 |
| David Shelton (R) | $28,366 | $24,682 | $3,684 |
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State[14] | |||
Results
[edit]| Republican convention results[15] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | |||||||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||||
| Max Engling | 715 | 42.7 | 867 | 53.3 | |||||
| David Shelton | 543 | 32.4 | 627 | 38.5 | |||||
| Diego Morales | 283 | 16.9 | 134 | 8.2 | |||||
| Jamie Reitenour | 135 | 8.1 | Eliminated | ||||||
| Total ballots | 1,676 | 100.00 | 1,628 | 100.00 | |||||
Democratic convention
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]Eliminated at convention
[edit]- Blythe Potter, business owner[18]
Endorsements
[edit]Beau Bayh
- Labor unions
- Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters[19]
- Heat and Frost Insulators Local 18[19]
- Indiana Laborers District Council[19]
- Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Local 20[19]
- United Association Local 440[19]
- Organizations
- Political parties
Blythe Potter
- Organizations
Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of April 15, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Beau Bayh (D) | $2,181,754 | $207,655 | $1,974,099 |
| Blythe Potter (D) | $136,198 | $69,594 | $66,604 |
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State[23] | |||
Third parties and independents
[edit]Libertarian Party
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Lauri Shillings, business owner and nominee for Indiana's 5th congressional district in 2024[24][25]
Lincoln Party
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Greg Ballard, former Republican mayor of Indianapolis (2008–2016)[26]
Socialist Party
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Harrison Jacobo, activist[27]
Write-in candidates
[edit]- Andrew Delano, former Republican nominee for mayor of Gary, Indiana in 2023 (National Socialist American Workers Party)[28]
Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of April 15, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Greg Ballard (I) | $290,000 | $174,00 | $115,000 |
| Lauri Shillings (L) | $17,913 | $5,350 | $12,564 |
| Harrison Jacobo (S) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State[29] | |||
General election
[edit]Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[30] | Likely R | August 7, 2025 |
Polling
[edit]Hypothetical polling
Diego Morales vs. Beau Bayh vs. Greg Ballard
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Diego Morales (R) |
Beau Bayh (D) |
Greg Ballard (I) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InAct LLC[31][A] | October 24 – November 1, 2025 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 29% | 32% | 24% | 16% |
Generic Republican vs. generic Democrat vs. generic Independent
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Generic Republican |
Generic Democrat |
Generic Independent |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InAct LLC[31][A] | October 24 – November 1, 2025 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 44% | 34% | 10% | 12% |
Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Max Engling (R) | $201,626 | $52,493 | $150,121 |
| Beau Bayh (D) | $2,695,117 | $428,165 | $2,311,139 |
| Greg Ballard (I) | $876,267 | $849,789 | $26,477 |
| Lauri Shillings (L) | $28,678 | $20,889 | $7,791 |
| Harrison Jacobo (S) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Andrew Delano (NS) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State[32] | |||
Debates
[edit]Debates
[edit]| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic | Lincoln Party | Libertarian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||||
| Max Engling | Beau Bayh | Greg Ballard | Lauri Shillings | |||||
| 1 | Aug. 26, 2026 | Indy Chamber FOX 59 CBS 4 IBJ Media |
I | I | I | I | ||
| 2 | Oct. 7, 2026 | Indiana Debate Commission | I | I | I | I | ||
Notes
[edit]Partisan clients
References
[edit]- 1 2 Carloni, Brittany; Colombo, Hayleigh (May 1, 2025). "Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales announces reelection campaign". IndyStar. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ↑ Beck, Caroline (June 20, 2026). "Republicans choose Max Engling in upset for secretary of state nomination". Indianapolis' Public Radio, TV & News Station | WFYI. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Dwyer, Kayla (May 20, 2026). "Secretary of State Diego Morales gets last-minute challenger". The Indianapolis Star.
- ↑ Verbanic, Ben (July 9, 2025). "Indiana GOP hopeful Jamie Reitenour targets young voter turnout". WLFI-TV.
- ↑ Prickett, Julia (May 7, 2025). "Knox County Clerk launches campaign for Indiana Secretary of State". WIBQ 97.3 FM. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ↑ Howey, Brian (May 23, 2025). "OPINION | Howey: A Republican challenger for Diego Morales". Courier Press. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Banks, Rokita pull endorsements for Diego Morales in Ind. Sec. of State race". Fox 59. May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- 1 2 "Banks, Rokita withdraw support for Diego Morales in Secretary of State race". WRTV. May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ Bushman, Heather; Dwyer, Kayla (May 22, 2026). "GOP state official calls for Diego Morales to resign immediately amid mounting criticism". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- ↑ Lange, Kaitlyn (May 21, 2026). "Banks, Rokita pull endorsement of Diego Morales, call for him to suspend campaign". IndyStar. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Endorsement Archives". Republicans for National Renewal. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Hakim-Shabazz, Abdul (April 15, 2026). "Lawson backs Shelton in SOS race, unloads on Diego Morales". Indy Politics. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
- 1 2 Roberts, Brandon (June 16, 2026). "Indiana Republicans head to Fort Wayne with party unity on the line". State Affairs.
- ↑ "Political Race Search". campaignfinance.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
- ↑ Davies, Tom (June 20, 2026). "Engling captures Republican bid for Indiana secretary of state". Indiana Capital Chronicle. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ Kelly, Niki (October 6, 2025). "Democrat Beau Bayh to run for Indiana Secretary of State". Indiana Capital Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ↑ Meador, Marissa. "Beau Bayh wins Democratic secretary of state nomination. How will he fare in November?". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Franklin County Democrats Announce Protest".
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Beau Bayh announces support from multiple Indiana labor unions". The Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Endorsed Candidates". VoteVets. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Bayh, Kebe earn Indiana Democratic Party's nominations for Secretary of State, treasurer". Retrieved June 6, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Candidates for Common Good". Vote Common Good. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Political Race Search". campaignfinance.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
- ↑ Bonilla Muñiz, Leslie (May 6, 2025). "Libertarian to explore challenge to Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales". Indiana Capital Chronicle.
- ↑ Hakim-Shabazz, Abdul (March 21, 2026). "Libertarian Party of Indiana Nominates 2026 Slate, Focuses on Ballot Access". Indy Politics.
- ↑ "Election officials confirm Ballard cleared ballot signature mark for Indiana secretary of state". Indiana Capital Chronicle. July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
- ↑ Hakim-Shabazz, Abdul (March 16, 2026). "First Ballard, Now Brown: Talk of New Political Party Surfaces Again in Indianapolis". Indy Politics.
- ↑ "2026 Indiana General Election Candidate List - THE INDIANA CITIZEN". June 18, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Political Race Search". campaignfinance.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
- ↑ Jacobson, Louis (August 7, 2025). "Previewing the 2026 Secretary of State Races". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Polling Topline and Crosstabs" (PDF). March 2, 2026. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Political Race Search". campaignfinance.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites:
