The Indiana Republican Party held its 2026 convention in Fort Wayne on June 20, and in casting ballots for the Secretary of State race, they chose to end the term of incumbent Diego Morales.

In a result that was anticipated for several weeks, Max Engling, a former staffer of U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, was nominated for the post as a late entrant into the race. Engling was one of four candidates in the race, including Morales, Jamie Reitenour, and David Shelton.

The nomination took two rounds of voting as no candidate achieved a majority of the votes cast by convention delegates in the initial polling. Reitenour was eliminated as the lowest vote-getter, and Engling received 53 percent of the votes in the second round.

Morales, who has faced criticism throughout his tenure as Secretary of State, received just eight percent of the vote.

Engling, who previously ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in the 5th District in 2024, will face Democratic candidate Beau Bayh in November.

Delegates to the convention also selected Elise Nieshalla as the Republican candidate for state Comptroller and Daniel Elliott as the party’s choice for state Treasurer.