Indiana secretary of state race draws attention as Bayh, Engling debate election issues

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Indiana’s secretary of state race is drawing attention as Democrat Beau Bayh and Republican Max Engling compete for a statewide office that has been held by Republicans since 1994.

The race comes as Democrats look to make gains in the midterm elections, a period when the party holding the presidency often faces political headwinds, according to Chad Kinsella, an associate professor of political science at Ball State University.

“The party that has the presidency in the midterms, they suffer,” Kinsella said. “So you kind of have this perfect storm.”

Engling was nominated as the Republican nominee during the party’s June 2026 convention, over incumbent Secretary of State Diego Morales.

Morales finished last in delegate voting following several controversies, including his purchase of a luxury vehicle and violations of election rules that resulted in him being banned from the Marion County Election Center.

Beau Bayh, the Democratic nominee, is the son of former Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh and grandson of former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh. Kinsella said the family’s political legacy has helped draw attention to the contest.

“What’s happened is you have a very super competitive race in Indiana for really basically the top of the ticket,” Kinsella said.

During Thursday’s debate, both candidates said they would approach the secretary of state’s office without partisan bias, despite their political affiliations.

“There’s no room for injecting partisan politics into something as sacred as our elections,” Bayh said. “So of course I will not be a partisan actor.”

Engling said the secretary of state should also work with members of their political party and other statewide officials to advance Indiana’s interests.

“Voters send you to this office in order to link arms with your statewide partners and move the state forward,” Engling said.

The candidates also discussed election oversight after the U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to send election monitors to Indiana.

Engling said election monitoring was not a partisan effort, noting that the practice also occurred during the Biden administration.

Bayh questioned why the two historically Democratic-leaning counties were specifically selected for oversight.

“He just mentioned that this is bipartisan. And so why have they singled out Marion and Lake counties?” Bayh asked.

Both candidates agreed that Indiana’s elections are generally secure, but they differed on how to address the state’s voter turnout, which has historically lagged behind the national average.

Engling advocated for extending voting hours to make it easier for Hoosiers to cast ballots. Bayh proposed allowing voter-initiated referendums to appear on ballots, giving residents a more direct role in deciding policy.

“Let’s give the five million registered Hoosier voters a more direct say in some of the biggest issues that are facing them,” Bayh said.

Engling opposed the proposal, arguing that voter-initiated referendums could bypass the legislative process and leave voters vulnerable to outside influence.

“It’s simply a way to evade the legislature,” Engling said. “It’s dark money on the outside that spends hundreds of millions of dollars on confusingly worded ballot initiatives to try and trick the voter.”

Two additional candidates will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot: independent Greg Ballard and Libertarian Lauri Shillings. Neither met Nexstar’s participation threshold for Thursday’s debate.