Beau Bayh (D), Max Engling (R), Greg Ballard (I), and Lauri Shillings (L) are running for Indiana Secretary of State in the November 3, 2026, general election. Bayh, Engling, and Ballard lead in media attention and fundraising.
Republicans have controlled the secretary's office since 1994. Incumbent Diego Morales (R) lost to Engling at the June 20 Republican convention. Indiana Capital Chronicle's Leslie Bonilla Muñiz wrote, "What is typically a low-interest, down-ballot contest has gained prominence in recent years as state leaders take cues from President Donald Trump’s administration and toughen voting laws."
Bayh said Engling represented the same "corruption, insider dealing, and waste of taxpayer money" as Morales, while Engling framed the general election as a fight to "push back against the Democrats' attempts to undo common sense election integrity laws." Ballard said, "It didn't matter who the Republicans nominated today. There are more independents in Indiana than Republicans or Democrats, and this November they will finally have a true independent to vote for."
Bayh earned his bachelor's degree in government and his law degree from Harvard University. He served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked as a judicial law clerk and attorney. Bayh said he is running "to fix a corrupt office, and to take on a broken political system that doesn't serve us. Right now, the Secretary of State's office shows exactly what's gone wrong. Instead of serving Hoosiers, that office has been used to cut backroom deals, with our tax dollars funding perks for politicians and their insider friends."
Engling earned his bachelor's degree in political science and psychology from Indiana University Indianapolis and his master's degree in defense and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. His career experience included working as the central Indiana regional director and adviser to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks (R). Engling’s campaign website said he would “fight for Conservative election reforms, including ensuring that only citizens can vote in Indiana elections, closing primaries to prevent crossover voting, improving oversight and monitoring of business fraud, and creating greater transparency through a portal that allows citizens to report potential election issues directly.”
Ballard earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Indiana University and a master's degree in military science from the Marine Corps University. He served 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a lieutenant colonel, and served two terms as mayor of Indianapolis from 2008 to 2016. Ballard is running as an independent under the Lincoln Party and argues he is most experienced, saying: "They've never led anything of significance in their lives, and I have," and that the secretary should be "ready to lead on day one."
The Indiana Secretary of State is one of five statewide, elected constitutional officers. The secretary is responsible for "maintenance of state records and preservation of the state seal." The secretary also charters new businesses, regulates the securities industry within Indiana, oversees state elections, commissions notaries public, and provides trademark and licensing services to Indiana automotive dealers.
Indiana is one of 24 states with a Republican triplex, meaning Republicans hold the governorship, the secretary of state's office, and the attorney general's office. The next gubernatorial and attorney general elections will occur in 2028.
