2026 Indiana Secretary of State election

For related races, see 2026 United States secretary of state elections.

2026 Indiana Secretary of State election

←  2022 November 3, 2026 2030 →

Candidate Max Engling Beau Bayh Party Republican Democratic   Candidate Lauri Shillings Greg Ballard Party Libertarian Independent [a]

Incumbent Secretary of State Diego Morales Republican

The 2026 Indiana Secretary of State election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the secretary of state of Indiana. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day. Early voting runs October 6, 2026 to November 2, 2026. The incumbent, Republican Diego Morales, ran for re-election was eliminated at the Republican convention by Max Engling. ^{[2] [3]}

Republican convention

Candidates

Nominee

• Max Engling, political aide and candidate for IN-05 in 2024 ^[4]

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• Jim Banks, U.S. senator from Indiana (2025–present) and former IN-03 (2017–2023)(endorsement rescinded; later endorsed Engling) ^[8]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• Todd Rokita, attorney general of Indiana (2021–present)(endorsement rescinded) ^[11]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

• Republicans for National Renewal ^[12]

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

• Beau Bayh, attorney and son of former Senator Evan Bayh ^{[17] [18]}

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

• VoteVets ^[21]

Political parties

• Indiana Democratic Party ^[22]

Blythe Potter

Organizations

• Vote Common Good ^[23]

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

Democratic convention results [25]
Candidate	Round 1
	Votes	%
Beau Bayh	1,385	61.00
Blythe Potter	883	39.00
Total ballots	2,269	100.00

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] (no ballot or write-in access) ^{[30] [31]}

Write-in candidates

• Andrew Delano, former Republican nominee for mayor of Gary, Indiana in 2023 (National Socialist American Workers Party) ^[32]

General election

Greg Ballard, a former Republican mayor of Indianapolis, is running on a ballot line for a new party called the "Lincoln Party." He seeks to gain ballot access for future elections. Earning 2% of the vote would make the party an official state party, and earning 10% would enable them to hold primary elections. Despite Indiana's status as a solidly Republican state, most observers consider the race to be highly competitive due to Ballard's presence, both due to his possibility to act as a spoiler in favor of Democratic candidate Beau Bayh, or even his ability to win the race outright. Ballard is attracting support from across the political spectrum, including from Republicans disaffected by the MAGA movement and from Democrats frustrated by the party establishment. ^[33] Ballard's presence on the ballot has also raised the political stakes for Libertarian candidate Lauri Shillings. Shillings also needs 2% of the vote to maintain her party's ballot line but can no longer rely on being the primary recipient of protest votes. ^[34]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball [35]	Tossup	September 9, 2026

Post-convention endorsements

Max Engling (R)

Statewide officials

• Mike Braun, governor of Indiana (2025–present) ^[36]

Beau Bayh (D)

Executive branch officials

• Pete Buttigieg, former United States secretary of transportation (2021–2025) ^[37]

State legislators

• Greg Walker, state senator for the 41st district (2006-present) (Republican) ^[38]

Greg Ballard (I)

Statewide officials

• Sue Ellspermann, former lieutenant governor of Indiana (2013–2016) (Republican) ^[39]

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 [40]

Debates

2026 Indiana Secretary of State debate

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	Video	P	P	P	P
2	Oct. 7, 2026	Indiana Debate Commission	Laura Merrifield Wilson	Video	P	P	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [b]	Margin of error	Max Engling (R)	Beau Bayh (D)	Greg Ballard (I)	Lauri Shillings (L)	Undecided
The Tarrance Group (R) [41] [A]	September 27–30, 2026	600 (LV)	± 4.1%	38%	37%	5%	6%	14%
Schoen Cooperman Research (D) [42] [B]	September 1–3, 2026	605 (LV)	± 4%	36%	42%	5%	5%	12%

Hypothetical polling

Diego Morales vs. Beau Bayh vs. Greg Ballard

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [b]	Margin of error	Diego Morales (R)	Beau Bayh (D)	Greg Ballard (I)	Undecided
InAct LLC [43] [C]	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 [b]	Margin of error	Generic Republican	Generic Democrat	Generic Independent	Undecided
InAct LLC [43] [C]	October 24 – November 1, 2025	400 (LV)	± 4.9%	44%	34%	10%	12%

Results

2026 Indiana Secretary of State election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Max Engling
	Democratic	Beau Bayh
	Libertarian	Lauri Shillings
	Lincoln	Greg Ballard
	National Socialist American Workers	Andrew Delano (write-in)
Total votes				100.0

Notes

1. Ballard is running on his own ballot line, "Lincoln Party". ^[1]
2. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

Partisan clients

1. Poll was sponsored by Hoosier Leadership for America, which supports Engling's campaign. ^[41]
2. Poll was conducted by an insider in the Bayh campaign. ^[42]
3. Poll was sponsored by Independent Indiana, which supports Ballard's campaign. ^[43]

References

1. Velez, Jessica. "Sec. of state hopeful Ballard explains new Lincoln Party to Tribune". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
2. Carloni, Brittany; Colombo, Hayleigh (May 1, 2025). "Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales announces reelection campaign". IndyStar. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
3. 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.
4. Dwyer, Kayla (May 20, 2026). "Secretary of State Diego Morales gets last-minute challenger". The Indianapolis Star .
5. Verbanic, Ben (July 9, 2025). "Indiana GOP hopeful Jamie Reitenour targets young voter turnout". WLFI-TV .
6. Prickett, Julia (May 7, 2025). "Knox County Clerk launches campaign for Indiana Secretary of State". WIBQ 97.3 FM. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
7. Howey, Brian (May 23, 2025). "OPINION | Howey: A Republican challenger for Diego Morales". Courier Press. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
8. "Banks, Rokita pull endorsements for Diego Morales in Ind. Sec. of State race". Fox 59. May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
9. "Banks, Rokita withdraw support for Diego Morales in Secretary of State race". WRTV. May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
10. 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.
11. Lange, Kaitlyn (May 21, 2026). "Banks, Rokita pull endorsement of Diego Morales, call for him to suspend campaign". IndyStar. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
12. "Endorsement Archives". Republicans for National Renewal. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
13. Hakim-Shabazz, Abdul (April 15, 2026). "Lawson backs Shelton in SOS race, unloads on Diego Morales". Indy Politics. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
14. Roberts, Brandon (June 16, 2026). "Indiana Republicans head to Fort Wayne with party unity on the line". State Affairs.
15. "Political Race Search". campaignfinance.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State . Retrieved April 17, 2026.
16. Davies, Tom (June 20, 2026). "Engling captures Republican bid for Indiana secretary of state". Indiana Capital Chronicle . Retrieved June 20, 2026.
17. Kelly, Niki (October 6, 2025). "Democrat Beau Bayh to run for Indiana Secretary of State". Indiana Capital Chronicle . Retrieved October 6, 2025.
18. Meador, Marissa. "Beau Bayh wins Democratic secretary of state nomination. How will he fare in November?". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
19. "Franklin County Democrats Announce Protest".
20. "Beau Bayh announces support from multiple Indiana labor unions". The Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
21. "Endorsed Candidates". VoteVets. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
22. "Bayh, Kebe earn Indiana Democratic Party's nominations for Secretary of State, treasurer" . Retrieved June 6, 2026.
23. "2026 Candidates for Common Good". Vote Common Good. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
24. "Political Race Search". campaignfinance.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State . Retrieved April 17, 2026.
25. Smith, Casey (June 6, 2026). "Beau Bayh defeats Blythe Potter for Democratic secretary of state nomination". WTHR . Retrieved June 6, 2026.
26. Bonilla Muñiz, Leslie (May 6, 2025). "Libertarian to explore challenge to Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales". Indiana Capital Chronicle .
27. Hakim-Shabazz, Abdul (March 21, 2026). "Libertarian Party of Indiana Nominates 2026 Slate, Focuses on Ballot Access". Indy Politics.
28. "Election officials confirm Ballard cleared ballot signature mark for Indiana secretary of state". Indiana Capital Chronicle . July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
29. Hakim-Shabazz, Abdul (March 16, 2026). "First Ballard, Now Brown: Talk of New Political Party Surfaces Again in Indianapolis". Indy Politics.
30. "2026 Indiana General Election Candidate List". Indiana Citizen. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
31. "2026 General Election Candidate List". IN.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
32. "2026 Indiana General Election Candidate List - THE INDIANA CITIZEN". June 18, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
33. Dwyer, Kayla. "For secretary of state, will independent Greg Ballard be a spoiler or a winner?". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
34. Meador, Marissa. "Lauri Shillings can fix a car and build a porch. Can she keep Libertarians on the ballot?". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
35. Jacobson, Louis (September 9, 2026). "Secretary of State Races: Election Denialism Could Cost GOP Again in Swing State Races". Center for Politics . Retrieved September 9, 2026.
36. Dwyer, Kayla (September 10, 2026). "Braun, Indiana GOP make $1M ad buy in secretary of state race amid national attention". The Indianapolis Star .
37. Tufts, John (August 13, 2016). "Pete Buttigieg is getting involved in Indiana's Statehouse races. Here's why". The Indianapolis Star .
38. Karlin, Ryan J. "Here are the Republicans backing Democratic candidates in the midterms" . Retrieved October 7, 2026.
39. Kelly, Niki (October 5, 2016). "Former GOP lieutenant governor endorses Ballard in secretary of state race". Indiana Capital Chronicle .
40. "Political Race Search". campaignfinance.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State . Retrieved April 17, 2026.
41. "HLFA Poll Shows Secretary of State Race Tied". Indy Politics. October 2, 2026. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
42. "Polls circulate showing tight secretary of state race, plus Bo Duke actor weighs in". October 2, 2026. Retrieved October 2, 2026. >@AdamWren (October 2, 2026). "Beau Bayh's campaign responds to Max Engling's releasing his own internal top lines from last month in Indiana's Secretary of State race:" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
43. "Polling Topline and Crosstabs" (PDF). March 2, 2026. Retrieved March 2, 2026.

External links

Official campaign websites:

• Greg Ballard (I)
• Beau Bayh (D)
• Max Engling (R)
• Lauri Shillings (L)
• Harrison Jacobo (Socialist)