Secretary of State Diego Morales is pushing back on allegations of wrongdoing within his office, as the Republican race for the office heats up.
Morales responded to the claims this week as he continues to lose support from within the party.
Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliot last week called for Morales to resign, citing a constant stream of controversy and alleging Morales’ former chief of staff was a “non-citizen and illegally registered to vote”. He said Morales' actions had weakened Indiana’s Republican party and were “gifts to Democrats”.
Morales responded Tuesday with a long statement about his former chief of staff's situation. He said she was legally authorized to work in his office and had been approved by the Indiana State Personnel Department.
In a statement, Morales called any suggestion that his chief of staff was not legally authorized to work “uninformed and irresponsible.”
Morales has also reportedly been reaching out to delegates defending his reputation.
There are currently three other Republicans vying for the party nomination for secretary of state after Max Engling joined the race last week. Engling is a staffer for U.S. Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind). Numerous GOP leaders in the state came out in support of Engling.
Republicans will likely face Democrat Beau Bayh at the ballot box in November. Bayh had already raised nearly $2-million by mid-April. Blythe Potter is also in the running for the Democratic ticket.
Other Republican candidates include David Shelton and Jamie Reitenour.
Shelton has publicly knocked Morales’ record as part of his run for the position.
“Diego Morales’s tenure as Secretary of State has become defined not by results, but by controversy, mismanagement, and unanswered questions,” Shelton said in a statement.
The Republican convention is Saturday, June 20th in Fort Wayne.
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
