2022 Indiana Secretary of State election
November 8, 2022
 
Nominee Diego Morales Destiny Wells Jeff Maurer
Party Republican Democratic Libertarian
Popular vote 999,679 742,554 104,503
Percentage 54.1% 40.2% 5.7%
County results
Morales:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Wells:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Secretary of State before election

Holli Sullivan
Republican

 Elected Secretary of State

Diego Morales
Republican

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, not the U.S. Armed Forces (the federal definition of a "veteran" only includes the Armed Forces); 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

Diego Morales
Organizations

Democratic convention

Candidates

Nominee

Endorsements

Destiny Wells
Local officials
Labor unions
Organizations
Newspapers

Libertarian convention

Nominee

  • Jeff Maurer, entrepreneur[22]

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.[23]

2022 Indiana Secretary of State debate
No. Date Host Moderator Link Republican Democratic Libertarian
Key:
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
Diego Morales Destiny Wells Jeff Maurer
1 Oct. 25, 2022 WFYI
League of Women Voters
of Indiana		 Laura Wilson PBS A P P

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[24] Tossup November 3, 2022
Elections Daily[25] Likely R November 7, 2022

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[lower-alpha 1]		 Margin
of error		 Diego
Morales (R)		 Destiny
Wells (D)		 Jeff
Maurer (L)		 Undecided
Indy Politics/ARW Strategies (R) September 25–26, 2022 600 (LV) ± 4.0% 32% 36% 7% 25%
Indy Politics/ARW Strategies (R) July 19–21, 2022 800 (LV) ± 3.5% 28% 31% 7% 34%

Results

2022 Indiana Secretary of State election[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Diego Morales 999,679 54.13% -2.09%
Democratic Destiny Wells 742,554 40.20% -0.37%
Libertarian Jeff Maurer 104,503 5.66% +2.49%
Write-in 143 0.01% -0.03%
Total votes 1,846,879 100.0% N/A
Republican hold

Notes

  1. ↑ Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear

References

  1. ↑ "Here's why secretary of state, auditor and treasurer are not on the primary ballot". WTHR. May 3, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Ex-Pence aide seeks Indiana elections office that fired him". June 2, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Secretary of State candidate Diego Morales used campaign funds for $43,000 car".
  4. ↑ "Diego Morales responds to criticism of using "veteran" to describe himself".
  5. ↑ "Ex-Pence Indiana aide running for Congress defends resume".
  6. ↑ "Morales responds to sexual harassment accusations".
  7. ↑ "HOWEY: Diego Morales and the press".
  8. ↑ "Republicans win Indiana auditor, treasurer & secretary of state races".
  9. ↑ Cloutier, Jimmy (February 17, 2022). "Indiana's secretary of state race on track to be the most expensive in two decades". OpenSecrets News. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Candidates - America First Secretary of State Coalition". americafirstsos.com. November 26, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Crowded GOP field for Indiana State Treasurer's Post". www.953mnc.com. August 2, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Carden, Dan (April 26, 2021). "WATCH NOW: Indiana secretary of state launches campaign for full term in 2022". www.nwitimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Knox County Clerk to Enter SOS Race".
  14. ↑ "Newton County native announces run for Secretary of State". www.newsbug.info. December 2, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  15. ↑ Carden, Dan (January 9, 2022). "Military veteran launches bid for Indiana secretary of state". www.shelbynews.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  16. ↑ "GOP delegates buck establishment, nominate Morales over Sullivan for secretary of state".
  17. 1 2 "Could Wells be first Democratic secretary of state in almost 30 years?". The Indiana Citizen. September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Labor 2022 | Indiana State AFL-CIO".
  19. ↑ "Indiana Primary Election Candidate Endorsements Announced". April 26, 2022.
  20. ↑ "VoteVets endorses Destiny Wells for Secretary of State". September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Our view editorial: Destiny Wells has the character to be secretary of state". The Herald Bulletin. October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Carmel resident Jeff Maurer running for Indiana Secretary of State". August 21, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  23. ↑ Lange, Kaitlin (October 10, 2022). "Secretary of State debate: Diego Morales is a no-show and other takeaways". The Indianapolis Star.
  24. ↑ "Secretary of State and Attorney General: What to Watch for Next Week in Key Statewide Contests". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  25. ↑ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Indiana Election Results November 8, 2022". Indiana Election Division.
Official campaign websites
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