Banks, Rokita drop support for Morales, urge him to suspend secretary of state campaign
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.
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 campaign spokesman Blair Englehart declined immeidate comment Thursday about the lost endorsements, saying “we’re still working through things.”
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.
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.”
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 continued.
Bayh is competing against Bargersville small business owner and Army veteran Blythe Potter for the Democratic nomination.
