Morales refuses to drop out after Banks, Rokita withdraw support in GOP secretary of state race

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 Thursday, saying convention delegates — not party insiders — should decide the Republican nominee at next month’s state convention.

“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, where Morales is facing an increasingly crowded field of challengers.

Banks and Rokita both withdrew their endorsements of Morales in a joint statement Thursday morning and instead backed Max Engling — a senior adviser and regional director in Banks’ Senate office 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 said Thursday that he continues to believe convention delegates should decide the nominee, just as they did when he first ran for the state office.

“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.”

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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.”

Knox County Clerk David Shelton and conservative activist Jamie Reitenour are also challenging Morales for the GOP nomination.

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.

GOP secretary of state race scrambled as US Sen. Banks’ staffer enters

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 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.

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.”

Multiple 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.