by Tom Davies, Indiana Capital Chronicle
May 20, 2026
A staffer to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks joined the Republican Indiana secretary of state race Wednesday, possibly complicating incumbent Diego Morales’ reelection bid.
Max Engling filed paperwork with the Indiana Republican Party as the fourth candidate for the nomination that will be decided June 20 during the state party convention.
Engling, who is the central Indiana regional director and a senior adviser for Banks’ Senate office, joins Knox County Clerk David Shelton and conservative activist Jamie Reitenour in challenging Morales.
Thursday is the filing deadline for GOP convention candidates.
Banks endorsed Morales for reelection in March, calling him a “tireless advocate for Hoosier values.” There was no immediate announcement from Banks of an endorsement change and a campaign adviser did not reply Wednesday to requests for comment.
While Engling enters the race a month ahead of the convention, Shelton launched his campaign a year ago after an unsuccessful bid for the 2022 Republican nomination.
Shelton has criticized Morales’ conduct in office and argued that renominating Morales puts Republicans at risk of losing the office if Democrat Beau Bayh, the son of former governor and U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, wins his party’s nomination next month.
Shelton said Wednesday that Engling is “just another amateur wanting a job he has no qualifications for.”
“Our elections are much too important for amateur hour,” Shelton told the Capital Chronicle. “We’re in a situation we’re in right now because they chose Diego four years ago.”
Engling, who lives in Cicero, previously was an aide to then-U.S.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy before entering the 2024 Republican primary in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. He finished third with 9.7% of the vote in the race won by Rep. Victoria Spartz.
Engling said in a campaign announcement statement Wednesday that he would “fight to keep our elections secure, support Indiana small businesses, and make sure our state government is working the way Hoosiers expect it to.
He did not reply to requests seeking an interview about his candidacy.
The Morales campaign did not immediately comment on Engling’s entry to the campaign.
Morales has touted his work toward better securing Indiana’s elections and argued that he’s the best-experienced candidate with the fundraising ability to keep the office in Republican control.
Banks has sought to gain influence over the Indiana GOP, most recently as his political organizations poured several million dollars into defeating several Republican state senators who defied President Donald Trump’s demands for congressional redistricting.
Shelton said he believed Engling’s candidacy was part of Banks’ strategy.
“They’re cutting bait on Diego, and this is the route they’re going to take,” Shelton said. “As of right now, it’s looking like the Indiana Republican Party is a party of Jim Banks, and we’ll see if that actually truly plays out.”
With the larger field of candidates, one Republican district official said the secretary of state race could “get interesting” for the delegates.
“If you asked me to call the race today, I couldn’t tell you who was going to come out as the winner,” said Amanda Lowery, Republican chair for Jackson County and the 9th District. “So I, personally, don’t see it swinging in favor of any candidate over the other at this point.”
Bayh is facing Blythe Potter, a small business owner and Army veteran from Bargersville, for the Democratic nomination.
The fall campaign for secretary of state faces a further twist as former Republican Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is seeking to gain enough petition signatures to appear on the election ballot under the “Lincoln Party” banner.
Lauri Shillings will be on the November ballot as the Libertarian Party candidate.
Reporter Jack Forrest contributed to this story.
