Executive Branch
Courtesy of candidates
Indiana voters this November will choose from four candidates in the secretary of state race. The office oversees the state's elections, maintains state records, charters new businesses and more.
The Indiana Debate Commission (IDC) hosted a live debate featuring all four candidates for Indiana Secretary of State on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 7 PM, in advance of the November general election.
All four candidates on the ballot have accepted the Commission’s invitation and participated in the debate: Republican Max Engling, Democrat Beau Bayh, Libertarian Lauri Shillings, and Independent/Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard.
-
Polling figures show Republican nominee Max Engling and Democrat Beau Bayh within a few percentage points of each other and far ahead of Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard and Libertarian Lauri Shillings. -
Ballard said Wednesday that the Legislature should enact a law prohibiting the secretary of state from endorsing, fundraising for or donating to candidates. -
Max Engling and Beau Bayh face attacks over their D.C. years, while Greg Ballard has been knocked over his Myrtle Beach move. -
Republican Max Engling found himself the outsider against three opponents on several key topics during the first debate between the four hopefuls for Indiana Secretary of State Wednesday night. -
Bayh said his decision to run was motivated in part by current secretary Diego Morales’s alleged corruption, including granting no-bid contracts to donors and spending taxpayer money on luxury vehicles. -
Indiana’s secretary of state race tops the election ballot this year — and at least two debates are planned so far. -
Indiana Republicans will gather in Fort Wayne for the GOP convention later this month to decide Bayh’s challenger. -
Bailey, Kebe unopposed heading into convention -
The son of a governor and grandson of a senator, Bayh comes from one of the most influential families in Indiana Democratic politics.
