2026 Indiana Secretary of State election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[2][3]
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November 3, 2026
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Republican convention
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated at convention
- Diego Morales, incumbent secretary of state (2023–present)[2]
- Jamie Reitenour, businesswoman and 2024 gubernatorial candidate[5]
- David Shelton, Knox County clerk (2019–present), Knox County Republican Party chair (2022–present), and 2022 secretary of state candidate[6]
Declined
- Kyle Conrad, former Newton County clerk[7]
- Andrew Ireland, state representative from the 90th district (2024–present) (endorsed Engling; running for re-election)[4]
Endorsements
Max Engling
- U.S. senators
- Jim Banks, U.S. senator from Indiana (2025–present) and former IN-03 (2017–2023)[8]
- U.S. representatives
- Jim Baird, IN-04 (2019–present)[9]
- Erin Houchin, IN-09 (2023–present)[8]
- Victoria Spartz, IN-05 (2021–present)[9]
- Statewide officials
- Daniel Elliott, treasurer of Indiana (2023–present)[10]
- State legislators
- Andrew Ireland, state representative from the 90th district (2024–present)[4]
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Jim Banks, U.S. senator from Indiana (2025–present) and former IN-03 (2017–2023)(endorsement rescinded; later endorsed Engling)[8]
- Statewide officials
Todd Rokita, attorney general of Indiana (2021–present)(endorsement rescinded)[11]
- Organizations
David Shelton
- Statewide officials
- Connie Lawson, former secretary of state of Indiana (2012–2021)[13]
Declined to endorse
- Statewide officials
- Micah Beckwith, lieutenant governor of Indiana (2025–present)[14]
- Mike Braun, governor of Indiana (2025–present) and former senator (2019–2025)[14]
Fundraising
| 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[15] | |||
Results
| Republican convention results[16] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated at convention
- Blythe Potter, business owner[19]
Endorsements
Beau Bayh
- Labor unions
- Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters[20]
- Heat and Frost Insulators Local 18[20]
- Indiana Laborers District Council[20]
- Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Local 20[20]
- United Association Local 440[20]
- Organizations
- Political parties
Blythe Potter
- Organizations
Fundraising
| 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[24] | |||
Results
Third parties and independents
Libertarian Party
Nominee
- Lauri Shillings, business owner and nominee for Indiana's 5th congressional district in 2024[26][27]
Lincoln Party
Declared
- Greg Ballard, former Republican mayor of Indianapolis (2008–2016)[28]
Socialist Party
Nominee
- Harrison Jacobo, activist[29]
Write-in candidates
- Andrew Delano, former Republican nominee for mayor of Gary, Indiana in 2023 (National Socialist American Workers Party)[30]
Fundraising
| 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[31] | |||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[32] | Tossup | September 9, 2026 |
Polling
Hypothetical polling
Diego Morales vs. Beau Bayh vs. Greg Ballard
Generic Republican vs. generic Democrat vs. generic Independent
Fundraising
| 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[34] | |||
Debates
| 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 |
Dan Spehler & Leslie Weidenbener | N/A | P | P | P | P |
| 2 | Oct. 7, 2026 | Indiana Debate Commission | I | I | I | I | ||
Post-convention endorsements
Max Engling (R)
- Statewide officials
- Mike Braun, governor of Indiana (2025–present)[35]
Beau Bayh (D)
- Executive branch officials
- Pete Buttigieg, former United States secretary of transportation (2021–2025)[36]