By Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
June 6, 2026
By a decisive margin, Beau Bayh won the Democratic nominee for Indiana secretary of state on Saturday, becoming the third generation of his family to run for elected office in Indiana.
The son of Evan Bayh, former Indiana governor and U.S. senator, and grandson of Birch Bayh, former speaker of the Indiana House and U.S. senator, Beau Bayh told the delegates of the Democratic Party that he will win the secretary of state’s office in November.
“We are going to win,” Bayh said. “Not just because everyone in this room wants it to be true and will work like hell to make it true. We will win because Hoosiers are demanding change.”
In the race for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, Bayh faced small-business owner Blythe Potter, who ran a grassroots campaign that aligned with the more progressive wing of the party.
Although her supporters were enthusiastic and energic, Potter was not able to secure the nomination. A total of 2,269 delegates cast a ballot, with Bayh receiving 1,385, or 61%, of the votes while Potter captured 883, or 39%.
Party leaders acknowledged Bayh and Potter had both campaigned hard for the nomination and energized different factions among Indiana Democrats. However, Karen Tallian, Indiana Democratic Party chair, and Robin Winston, convention chair, told the delegates that once the nominee was chosen, the party needed to unify and work together to get its candidates elected in November.
“We are more alike than we are unalike,” Winston said.
The delegates seemed to get the message. When Bayh and the other Democratic nominees, Jessica Bailey for state comptroller and Coumba Kebe for state treasurer, were introduced at the end of the convention as the party’s candidates for the statewide offices, the crowd stood and cheered.
Potter also said she would support Bayh in the race for secretary of state. After most of the delegates had left following the convention’s conclusion, Potter lingered outside the hall to talk to a few of the delegates and people who had worked on her campaign.
“I will only be supporting Democrats this fall,” Potter said, adding that included Bayh. “But I will still be holding him accountable.”
The vote for the secretary of state nominee came towards the end of a long day for the delegates. They gathered at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis early Saturday morning for various committee meetings and in the afternoon assembled in a large hall to vote on their party’s platform and nominate their party’s candidates for secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer.
As the delegates entered the hall, Bayh supporters were passing out small American flags and signs with the candidate’s name printed on them. On the chairs where the delegates sat were more signs for Bayh and Potter.
When the secretary of state candidates made their pitches for the nomination, their supporters cheered, applauded and waved the signs.
Both Bayh and Potter are military veterans. Bayh served in the U.S. Marine Corps and Potter served in the U.S. Army. As they were each being nominated, their experience in the armed forces was emphasized.
Bayh was nominated for secretary of state by Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry.
Bayh focused his convention speech on the concerns and allegations surrounding the current secretary of state, Diego Morales. He highlighted Morales’ purchase of a luxury vehicle with taxpayer money, hiring of family members, and awarding no-bid contracts to friends.
Also, Bayh noted, many Indiana Republicans have turned from Morales and are supporting Max Engling, a late entry into the GOP race for the secretary of state nomination. Bayh said whoever the Republicans choose, the result will be the same: “more corruption, more waste, higher taxes and fewer services for us, more perks and insider deals for them.”
“The time has come for fundamental change in Indianapolis,” Bayh said. “And with your help, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We will expose corruption and demand accountability. We will protect every taxpayer dollar. We’ll work to make it easier to start a small business and grow an existing one. We will safeguard the integrity of our elections and strengthen confidence in our democracy.”
Potter was nominated for the office by the former Democratic nominee for Indiana attorney general, Destiny Wells. The crowd exploded when Wells appeared on the stage.
Potter focused her convention speech on her plans to make voting easier for Hoosiers. Asserting Republicans have put more barriers to the ballot box, she said she would expand voter education programs, create nonpartisan voter guides, and work with county election officials to increase voter turnout.
“These Republicans have done everything in their power to drive away voting and voters’ rights,” Potter said. “I will do everything in my power to stop them.”
The Indiana Republican Party’s convention will be June 19 and 20 in Fort Wayne. Current state comptroller Elise Nieshalla and state treasurer Daniel Elliott are running unopposed for the GOP nomination. The race to be the GOP candidate for secretary of state is crowded, with Morales and Engling running alongside Knox County Circuit Court Clerk Dave Shelton and 2024 Republican candidate for governor Jamie Reitenour.
Colleen Steffen, executive editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, edited this article. She worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for more than 13 years and is now in her 10th year teaching college journalists.
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
