Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales is not going anywhere — at least not voluntarily.
In a statement issued Thursday, the embattled incumbent made clear he intends to fight for renomination at the Indiana Republican Convention in Ft. Wayne on June 20, dismissing growing pressure from within his own party to step aside.
“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,” Morales said. “I welcome more competition into this race, but that sentiment has not changed.”
Morales added that “the decision belongs in the hands and only the hands of Republican convention delegates,” and said he is “confident I’ll be renominated.”
The statement comes as the field around him grows more crowded and more vocal. Within hours of Morales’ message, two of his challengers — one Republican, one independent — released statements of their own seizing on the moment.
Republican candidate David Shelton, the Knox County Clerk and county GOP chair, framed the day’s developments as a vindication of warnings he says he has been issuing for months.
“I’m glad the establishment is finally paying attention,” Shelton said. “For months, I have warned Republican delegates and leaders across Indiana that the repeated controversies surrounding the current administration threatened both the credibility of the Secretary of State’s office and our party’s ability to hold this seat in November. Today’s developments confirm those concerns were valid.”
Shelton, who has been campaigning since well before other names entered the conversation, leaned hard on his election administration credentials and convention math. He noted he is “the only candidate who won my delegate race” and said he has just been tapped as the technician for a Clay County recount. His campaign points to endorsements from more than 100 elected officials and election administrators across the state.
Independent candidate Greg Ballard, the former two-term Indianapolis mayor, took a different tack — casting the entire reshuffling as evidence that his independent bid is already reshaping the race.
“This is what competitive elections do: create accountability where there hasn’t been any before,” Ballard said. “Our presence has already changed the trajectory of this race. Both parties are now adjusting because of the Ballard campaign.”
Ballard pointed to Republicans who “just months ago proudly endorsed Diego Morales” and have now “suddenly determined he’s not fit to be their party’s nominee,” and took a swipe at Democratic candidate Beau Bayh’s recent comments describing the Secretary of State’s role as one that “really should be a nonpartisan role.”
The Indiana Republican Convention convenes June 20 in Ft. Wayne, where delegates will settle the Republican nomination. Other candidates, including former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s GOP counterparts, are also expected to make their cases on the convention floor.
