Morales still “confident” he can win

Banks & Rokita drop their endorsements, Banks joins Spartz & Baird in backing Engling

By ASHLEY FOWLER
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales is staying in the race and leaving his future up to the delegates at next month’s Indiana Republican State Convention.

Morales, who on Thursday lost the endorsements of prominent Indiana Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita, said in a statement that he looks forward to the vote of GOP delegates in Fort Wayne:

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.

I welcome more competition into this race, but that sentiment has not changed.

Delegates will decide who will be the Republican nominee for Indiana Secretary of State. The decision belongs in the hands and only the hands of Republican convention delegates and I’m confident I’ll be renominated.

In addition to withdrawing his support for Morales, Sen. Banks also announced his endorsement of Max Engling, who announced his candidacy on Wednesday.

Banks, for whom Engling serves as a senior advisor, was direct in his support.

“Max Engling is a key member of my team and will make a great Secretary of State,” Banks said in a release. “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. He has my full and total support!”

Rokita, who said he spoke directly with Morales before issuing a statement, framed the shift as a matter of protecting the office from Democrats.

“The Secretary of State’s office is too important to be lost to out-of-touch, left-wing Democrats who put Hoosiers last,” Rokita said. “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.”

The attorney general did not endorse Engling but encouraged delegates at the upcoming Indiana Republican Party Convention to “put Hoosiers first by allowing Engling to contact them and earn their support.”

Both Banks and Rokita said they are thankful to Morales for his service, but believe the party must rally behind the strongest possible nominee heading into the fall.

Congressman Jim Baird (R-Ind.-04) on Thursday endorsed Engling, saying in a release, “Max understands the importance of protecting election integrity, supporting Indiana businesses, and delivering results for our state. This race is too important to risk, and Republicans must unite behind a strong candidate who can win in November. I’m proud to endorse Max Engling for Secretary of State.”

Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, a Republican who represents Indiana’s Fifth District, called on delegates to back Engling.

“I urge all of my fellow conservatives, libertarians, constitutionalists, fiscal hawks, and moderates within the Republican Party – and especially all of our convention delegates – to support Max Engling as our next nominee for Secretary of State,” Max is a family man, a fighter, and someone who will work hard to help us defeat the radical left,” Spartz said in a release.

Spartz went on to urge the other nominees to “unite in support of Max.”

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/indiana-news/banks-rokita-drop-morales.

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Bayh & Ballard campaigns issue statements

“This is what competitive elections do: create accountability where there hasn’t been any before.  Our presence has already changed the trajectory of this race. Both parties are now adjusting because of the Ballard campaign.

“The same Republicans who just months ago proudly endorsed Diego Morales have suddenly determined he’s not fit to be their party’s nominee. His issues were not a secret, but party insiders have been more concerned about protecting the Indiana GOP than the good people of this state. Sadly, that has not changed.

“On the Democratic side, Beau Bayh acknowledged in an interview released today that ‘[Secretary of State] really should be a nonpartisan role’ and that ‘one of the biggest problems in our politics … is the strident partisanship that we’ve seen kind of grip our politics.’ He also said, ‘We are trying to … have an independent voice in our Statehouse.’ If he keeps talking like that, he might start getting mistaken for a slightly more handsome version of me.

“I’m proud that my campaign is already changing the conversation and creating the accountability Hoosiers so desperately need. Our team is more energized than ever.”

– Greg Ballard, independent candidate for Secretary of State

 

“The corruption and insider dealing in Diego Morales’s Secretary of State office has been going on for years. 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. Beau will continue to campaign on returning integrity to this office and moving beyond the ugliness of today’s politics. Hoosiers deserve better, and they’ll get that with Beau Bayh as Secretary of State.”

– Jack Tormoehlen, campaign manager for Beau Bayh for Indiana