Former Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson has formally entered the 2026 secretary of state race, endorsing Knox County Clerk David Shelton while unloading on incumbent Diego Morales in a sharply worded four-page letter aimed squarely at Republican convention delegates.
While the endorsement alone would have been significant it is the tone and substance of Lawson’s letter that is likely to reverberate through Indiana Republican circles in the days ahead. Lawson and longtime election official Valerie Warycha frame Shelton as the experienced, stable alternative to Morales, while laying out a sweeping indictment of the incumbent’s performance in office.
Among the most pointed lines in the letter: “The Democrats want the current Secretary to be the Republican candidate in November.”
That line alone signals the political intent of the letter — to persuade Republican delegates that Morales is not only vulnerable within the party, but potentially a liability in the general election. The letter also takes direct aim at Morales’ administrative competence, stating that he “couldn’t properly manage his own filing process.” The reference appears to be a criticism of past candidate filing issues and broader concerns over election office management.
Lawson further escalates the critique by raising questions about ethics and staffing decisions within the office.
The letter cites what it describes as a “culture of nepotism,” including allegations of “six-figure jobs for family members” and more than “$300,000 in bonuses to former staff and relatives.”
That language moves the race beyond a simple contest of résumés and into a direct challenge over Morales’ stewardship of the office.
The criticism also extends to election security.
In one of the most striking portions of the letter, Lawson questions why senior election personnel allegedly lacked appropriate security clearances, writing: “WHY? This is highly unusual and makes Indiana elections vulnerable.”
By contrast, Lawson casts Shelton as the experienced hand needed to restore confidence and professionalism to the office. As Knox County clerk, Shelton’s background in local election administration gives him a clear credential in the very area Lawson argues has been mishandled.
For Shelton, the endorsement is a major boost.
For Morales, it is a direct political broadside from one of the most respected former occupants of the office.
The Indiana Republican State Convention is scheduled for the weekend of June 19 in Fort Wayne, where delegates are expected to choose the party’s nominees for statewide offices, including secretary of state.
