As concerns spread this spring among Republican activists about the reelection prospects for Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales, Max Engling says he started to be asked about jumping into the race.

He had spent the past year-plus as central Indiana regional director and adviser to U.S. Jim Banks following an unsuccessful Republican congressional primary campaign in 2024.

Engling says he downplayed the secretary of state talk because Banks had already endorsed Morales for reelection and “I’m not going to run out in front of that.”

The political calculus changed quickly in the days leading up to Engling’s May 20 filing to join Knox County Clerk David Shelton and conservative activist Jamie Reitenour in challenging Morales at the June 20 state Republican convention for the party’s secretary of state nomination.

Engling said in an interview with the Indiana Capital Chronicle that he talked again with Banks as the senator decided to withdraw his Morales endorsement following controversy over the 2023 hiring of a noncitizen as the secretary of state office’s chief of staff.

“He said to me, ‘Well, if you are prepared to go, we can’t do this anymore as far as the current secretary of state, and if you’re ready to go I’m fully behind you. Let’s go,’” Engling said.

Engling’s Washington experience

While Morales, Shelton and Reitenour formally launched their campaigns last year, Engling is an unknown to the general public and is hustling to introduce himself to the roughly 1,800 convention delegates who’ll vote on the nominee

Engling has built his Republican connections since Banks brought him onto the Senate office staff in January 2025, representing Banks at community events and meeting with community leaders.

“I don’t even have an office, like, my office is my car, and I’ve been doing that for a while now,” Engling said. “I’ve been knocking on doors for other candidates, I’ve been meeting with our party chairman, I’ve been going to all the Lincoln Day dinners.”

The 39-year-old Engling, who is now on leave from Banks’ office to campaign full time, had a dozen years of previous Capitol Hill experience as a U.S. House committee Republican staffer who advanced to become an aide to then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California.

Engling says he grew up in the Cicero area of Hamilton County before graduating in 2010 from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He soon became inspired by the tea party movement and landed a committee intern position in Washington the following year.

Engling was living in the D.C. area until he and his wife decided to return to Hamilton County with their four children in 2023.

That move came along with his decision to run for central Indiana’s 5th Congressional District after Rep. Victoria Spartz had announced her intentions to not seek reelection. Spartz, however, changed her mind in early 2024 and Engling struggled to gain tractionin a crowded field, finishing third in the GOP primary with about 10% of the vote.

Engling highlights his experience with the U.S. House Administration Committee, which has oversight of federal election law, in talking with Republican delegates about the secretary of state’s race.

His pitch to delegates and his campaign website includes mentions of working for House leadership without specifying that he was an aide to McCarthy for about five years. Engling moved back to Indiana soon before McCarthy was ousted as House speaker in 2023 in a rebellion by far-right members.

“I’m very appreciative of all of the opportunity that he’s given me,” Engling said of McCarthy. “He knows that. I think it’s more of, you have a pretty limited window to say to folks here what you did and how you did it and how it makes sense in the secretary of state’s role as far as what you’ve done, but I certainly appreciate the opportunity that he gave me.”

Banks extending influence over GOP

Morales has refused to back off his reelection campaign even with the loss of support from numerous prominent Republican figures, including Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita.

Morales touts himself as a “battle tested” candidate who has survived political attacks since before his 2022 election as secretary of state.

He points to the $1 million-plus in his campaign fund as demonstrating he has the financial resources needed if Beau Bayh wins the Democratic nomination for secretary of state. Bayh, the son of former Sen. Evan Bayh, has raised more than $2 million for his campaign.

Shelton had been the most-prominent challenger to Morales, presenting himself as the best-qualified candidate from his eight years running local elections as a county clerk. But he’s raised less than $50,000 in campaign funds this year.

Engling said concerns about Bayh potentially becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide race since 2012 weighed in his decision.

“If I thought that there was another candidate that was going to surely win in the general election, I would have not stepped forward to say ‘Let’s do a really hard thing in a really short timeframe,’ and potentially become the face of what the other party disagrees with in a general election,” Engling said.

Banks has sought to boost his influence over the state Republican Party — most prominently by aligning with political groups to help pump millions of dollars of advertising to support challengers to GOP state senators who voted against the Indiana congressional redistricting demanded by President Donald Trump. Six Republican senators who opposed redistricting lost primary races, while only two were apparent winners.

Banks’ office did not respond to a request to interview him for this story.

When asked whether Banks and those groups would be financial backers for the general election campaign, Engling expressed certainty.

“Right now, the goal is to work and talk with delegates and make sure that they want to give me that responsibility,” he said. “If they do give me that responsibility, then, yes, I feel very confident about the ability to raise the money and to bring in the support necessary to run a very strong race in the fall.”

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.