This story was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle
May 21, 2026
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales lost the support of two prominent Republican allies Thursday as U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita declared they no longer believe he is the party’s strongest nominee for November.
But Morales showed no signs of backing down, saying state convention delegates — not party insiders — should decide the Republican nominee.
“Delegates will decide who will be the Republican nominee for Indiana Secretary of State,” Morales said in a Thursday afternoon statement. “The decision belongs in the hands and only the hands of Republican convention delegates and I’m confident I’ll be renominated.”
The break comes less than a month before Indiana Republicans gather June 20 to choose their secretary of state nominee at the state party convention.
Thursday marked the filing deadline for GOP candidates. Party officials confirmed that Morales and Max Engling — a senior adviser and regional director in Banks’ Senate office — as well as Knox County Clerk David Shelton and conservative activist Jamie Reitenour were eligible.
The decision belongs in the hands and only the hands of Republican convention delegates and I’m confident I’ll be renominated.
– Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales
Banks and Rokita both withdrew their endorsements of Morales in a joint statement Thursday morning and instead backed Engling, who formally entered the race Wednesday.
Rokita also said he had personally urged Morales to suspend his campaign.
“I have spoken with Diego,” Rokita said in a statement. “The Secretary of State’s office is too important to be lost to out-of-touch, left-wing Democrats who put Hoosiers last. To that end, I have asked Diego to suspend his campaign. With so many self-inflicted wounds and issues, I now do not believe he can win in November.”
Morales is looking for a repeat of his 2022 GOP convention success, when he defeated incumbent Holli Sullivan for the nomination.
“Since I announced I was running for Indiana Secretary of State in November of 2020 my goal was to give delegates the choice at the convention,” Morales said. “I welcome more competition into this race, but that sentiment has not changed.”
Banks, who endorsed Morales for reelection in March and previously called him a “tireless advocate for Hoosier values,” said Thursday that Engling now had his “full and total support.”
“Max Engling is a key member of my team and will make a great Secretary of State,” Banks said. “Max is a strong conservative who will keep our elections safe and secure, support Indiana small businesses and farmers, and he will win in November.”
Engling did not respond Wednesday or Thursday to phone and email messages from the Capital Chronicle seeking an interview.
While Morales has faced a slew of controversies since taking office in 2023, Banks cited recent allegations reported by the Indy Politics website that a former Morales staffer was registered to vote in Tippecanoe County using a temporary driver’s license issued to noncitizens.
“Diego worked hard and did many good things but he lied to me about hiring a non-citizen as his chief of staff who illegally registered to vote so I withdrew my endorsement and recruited a stronger candidate who can win in November,” Banks told the Capital Chronicle.
That staffer was hired by the secretary of state’s office in 2023 and resigned April 29, according to the state Department of Personnel.
Shelton launched his campaign last year and has repeatedly argued that Morales’ controversies and conduct in office put Republicans at risk of losing the statewide seat.
“I’m glad the establishment is finally paying attention,” Shelton said in a Thursday statement. “For months, I have warned Republican delegates and leaders across Indiana that the repeated controversies surrounding the current administration threatened both the credibility of the Secretary of State’s office and our party’s ability to hold this seat in November.”
He also criticized the rapid effort by Republican leaders to bolster support for Engling after his late entry into the race.
“While others are entering this race at the last minute amid political scrambling and backroom pressure campaigns, I have spent months traveling Indiana, earning support county by county and delegate by delegate,” Shelton said.
Morales has faced scrutiny during his first term over a taxpayer-funded vehicle, international travel and contracting decisions. He has argued the decisions were connected to his work on election security and promoting Indiana businesses, however.
Engling, who lives in Cicero, previously worked for former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Washington before joining Banks’ Senate operation. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District in 2024, finishing third in the primary with about 10% of the vote.
GOP secretary of state race scrambled as US Sen. Banks’ staffer enters
Rokita, in his Thursday statement, pointed to his own successful 2020 convention challenge against then-Attorney General Curtis Hill.
“Republican delegates successfully faced this scenario in 2020 when I was elected with the largest number of votes in Indiana candidate history after taking on a flawed incumbent at the convention,” Rokita said. “Republican delegates can put Hoosiers First by allowing Max Engling to contact them and earn their support.”
Other members of Indiana’s Republican congressional delegation also lined up behind Engling on Thursday, including U.S. Reps. Jim Baird, Erin Houchin, Victoria Spartz and Rudy Yakym.
Still, Jack Tormoehlen, campaign manager for Democratic secretary of state candidate Beau Bayh, said Republican leaders tolerated Morales’ conduct until concerns grew about his electability.
“The corruption and insider dealing in Diego Morales’s Secretary of State office has been going on for years,” Tormoehlen said in a statement. “And yet, it wasn’t the luxury SUVs he’s purchased, or the international trips paid by unknown sources, or even the no-bid contracts for donors that finally earned him an opponent — it’s a bunch of insiders realizing that Morales would probably lose to Beau Bayh in November.”
“Now, insiders in DC and Indianapolis want to dictate how delegates should vote at the state GOP convention by throwing in a new candidate at the last minute,” he said.
Bayh is competing against Bargersville small business owner and Army veteran Blythe Potter for the Democratic nomination.
Lauri Shillings will be on the November ballot as the Libertarian Party candidate, and former Republican Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is seeking to gain enough petition signatures to appear on the election ballot under the “Lincoln Party” banner.
“This is what competitive elections do: create accountability where there hasn’t been any before,” Ballard said in a Thursday afternoon statement. “The same Republicans who just months ago proudly endorsed Diego Morales have suddenly determined he’s not fit to be their party’s nominee. His issues were not a secret, but party insiders have been more concerned about protecting the Indiana GOP than the good people of this state. Sadly, that has not changed.”
Editor-in-Chief Niki Kelly and Deputy Editor Tom Davies contributed to this story.
This story has been updated with comments from Diego Morales and David Shelton on remaining as candidates.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
