2022 Indiana Secretary of State election explained

Election Name:2022 Indiana Secretary of State election
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Election Date:November 8, 2022
Country:Indiana
Previous Election:2018 Indiana Secretary of State election
Previous Year:2018
Next Election:2026 Indiana Secretary of State election
Next Year:2026
Nominee1:Diego Morales
Party1:Indiana Republican Party
Popular Vote1:999,893
Percentage1:54.13%
Nominee2:Destiny Wells
Party2:Indiana Democratic Party
Popular Vote2:742,624
Percentage2:40.21%
Map Size:250px
Secretary of State
Before Election:Holli Sullivan
Before Party:Indiana Republican Party
After Election:Diego Morales
After Party:Indiana Republican Party
Party3:Libertarian Party (US)
Nominee3:Jeff Maurer
Popular Vote3:104,519
Percentage3:5.66%

The 2022 Indiana Secretary of State election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next secretary of state of Indiana. Holli Sullivan, a Republican who was appointed to replace Connie Lawson as Secretary of State in 2021, ran for a full term in office but was defeated in the Republican primary by Diego Morales. The Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian parties chose their nominees for Secretary of State at a party convention on June 18, 2022.[1]

Despite Indiana's strong Republican lean, polls showed a competitive race. Republican nominee Diego Morales faced numerous controversies, including the fact that he was previously fired from a position in the Secretary of State office; his echoing of Donald Trump's false accusations of fraud in the 2020 elections; his use of campaign funds to purchase a $43,000 Toyota RAV4; his description of himself as a "veteran" even though he only served in the military for three months and he was in the Indiana Army National Guard and never deployed on Active Duty (the federal definition of a "veteran" only includes active duty or guardsmen who have deployed on active duty orders); claims that portions of his resume are exaggerated or misleading; and two accusations of sexual harassment against him.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] After winning the Republican nomination, he changed his stance on the 2020 presidential election, telling The Washington Post that he believed Biden won legitimately. WTHR commented that Morales received the most negative press of any statewide candidate in Indiana since Richard Mourdock in the 2012 Senate race.[7]

Despite Morales's controversies, he secured a decisive victory over Wells and Maurer. However, he underperformed all other statewide Republican nominees in Indiana by 5-7 percentage points.[8]

Republican convention

Incumbent Secretary of State Connie Lawson resigned in 2021 due to health issues. Governor Eric Holcomb chose state representative Holli Sullivan to replace her, and Sullivan announced she would run for a full term. The Republican primary for Secretary of State was the most expensive in two decades, with challenger Diego Morales leading Sullivan in fundraising.[9] Morales was endorsed by the America First Secretary of State Coalition, a conservative group that supports a slate of candidates in the 2022 United States secretary of state elections.[10]

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated at convention

Did not file

Endorsements

Democratic convention

Candidates

Nominee

Endorsements

Libertarian convention

Nominee

General election

Debate

On October 10, a debate for the Secretary of State election was held by WFYI and the League of Women Voters. Democrat Destiny Wells and Libertarian Jeff Maurer participated in the debate, while Morales skipped it to attend a meeting of the Warrick County Republican Party. Wells and Maurer heavily criticized Morales for not attending the debate. While both agreed that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Maurer called for an election audit of every Indiana county, while Wells did not. When asked about the problem of low voter turnout, Wells proposed independent redistricting, keeping polling places open longer, and extending the window for early voting as ways to increase turnout, while Maurer blamed the two-party system for creating a lack of competition.[18]

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
align=left Sabato's Crystal Ball[19] November 3, 2022
Elections Daily[20] November 7, 2022

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Diego
Morales (R)
Destiny
Wells (D)
Jeff
Maurer (L)
Undecided
Indy Politics/ARW Strategies (R)September 25–26, 2022600 (LV)± 4.0%32%36%7%25%
Indy Politics/ARW Strategies (R)July 19–21, 2022800 (LV)± 3.5%28%31%7%34%

Results

External links

Official campaign websites:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: May 3, 2022 . Here's why secretary of state, auditor and treasurer are not on the primary ballot . 2022-06-01 . WTHR . en-US.
  2. Web site: Ex-Pence aide seeks Indiana elections office that fired him . June 2, 2022 .
  3. Web site: Secretary of State candidate Diego Morales used campaign funds for $43,000 car .
  4. Web site: Diego Morales responds to criticism of using "veteran" to describe himself .
  5. Web site: Ex-Pence Indiana aide running for Congress defends resume .
  6. Web site: Morales responds to sexual harassment accusations .
  7. Web site: HOWEY: Diego Morales and the press.
  8. Web site: Republicans win Indiana auditor, treasurer & secretary of state races.
  9. Web site: Cloutier . Jimmy . 2022-02-17 . Indiana's secretary of state race on track to be the most expensive in two decades . 2022-06-01 . OpenSecrets News . en.
  10. Web site: 2018-11-26 . Candidates - America First Secretary of State Coalition . 2022-06-05 . americafirstsos.com . en-US.
  11. Web site: Crowded GOP field for Indiana State Treasurer's Post . www.953mnc.com . 9 January 2022 . 2 August 2021.
  12. Web site: Knox County Clerk to Enter SOS Race .
  13. Web site: Carden . Dan . WATCH NOW: Indiana secretary of state launches campaign for full term in 2022 . www.nwitimes.com . . 9 January 2022 . 26 April 2021.
  14. Web site: Newton County native announces run for Secretary of State . www.newsbug.info . 9 January 2022 . 2 December 2021.
  15. Web site: Carden . Dan . Military veteran launches bid for Indiana secretary of state . www.shelbynews.com . 12 January 2022 . 9 January 2022 . January 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220112210259/https://www.shelbynews.com/news/state/military-veteran-launches-bid-for-indiana-secretary-of-state/article_240ee46a-a725-539c-b189-ed556679c23a.html . dead .
  16. Web site: GOP delegates buck establishment, nominate Morales over Sullivan for secretary of state .
  17. Web site: Carmel resident Jeff Maurer running for Indiana Secretary of State . 9 January 2022 . 21 August 2021.
  18. Web site: Lange . Kaitlin . Secretary of State debate: Diego Morales is a no-show and other takeaways . . 10 October 2022.
  19. Web site: Secretary of State and Attorney General: What to Watch for Next Week in Key Statewide Contests . Sabato's Crystal Ball . November 3, 2022 . November 3, 2022.
  20. Web site: Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings . Solomon . Zack . Elections Daily . November 7, 2022 . November 29, 2022.