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.
Meanwhile, Democrat Beau Bayh, Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard and Libertarian Lauri Shillings often agreed.
“When the facts and the law are on your side, maybe it does feel like three to one,” Bayh told reporters afterward. “But you know, it was a nice discussion. I think we did a good job of sticking to the actual issues at play in this campaign, and hopefully, folks saw our vision.”
The debate was part of the Indy Chamber’s annual HobNob event in downtown Indianapolis. Several hundred Hoosiers attended the event.
The secretary of state’s office is one of five statewide offices designated in Indiana’s original constitution. The agency oversees elections, securities, auto dealer and business services.
What is typically a low-profile, down-ballot contest has gained prominence in recent years as state leaders take cues from President Donald Trump’s administration and tightened voting laws.
Current officeholder Diego Morales lost the nomination contest at the Republican State Convention to Engling.
Engling’s late entry came as U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita pulled their endorsements from Morales, whose tenure has been plagued with questionable spending, traveling and contracting.
The 39-year-old Engling, who is on leave from Banks’ office to campaign full time, previously spent 12 years on Capitol Hill. He worked as a Republican staffer for a U.S. House committee and later as an aide to then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California.
Engling was the only candidate to not pledge an audit of the office.
“Travel expenses would be a particular point of emphasis,” Ballard said. “What that office needs is stability. It needs some dignity.”
Shillings and Bayh also said they would support an audit.
But Engling didn’t join the trio. Instead, he said he challenged Morales at the convention as a way of reinstilling confidence in the office. And he also joked that he told his brothers-in-law he would not create a state job for them as Morales did.
Engling was also the only one to support the full SAVE America Act, a federal proposal that would require additional identification requirements for married woman and others to ensure only citizens cast ballots.
Indiana already has a photo ID requirement that is part of the proposal.
“It’s also important that we have only eligible citizens voting in our elections,” Engling said. “We have to know who’s voting in our elections. It is sacred, and if you think that it’s something that’s not important, I would say you fundamentally disqualify yourself for Secretary of State.”
But Shillings called the SAVE Act a barrier to voting.
“I believe that it disenfranchises people who absolutely should be able to vote. I think that it is an undue burden for individuals who have changed their name, married or adopted.”
Ballard said Indiana’s election security record is solid and he considers the proposal a federal intrusion.
Moderators asked the candidates about a controversial recount in Senate District 23. Spencer Deery of West Lafayette initially posted a three-vote win over challenger Paula Copenhaver in the Republican primary.
But the recount commission threw out several Deery votes because local election officials had not properly placed the clerk’s stamp on the absentee ballots. That gave Copenhaver a 6,332-6,329 victory.
The Indiana Supreme Court has accepted an expedited appeal of the case with arguments scheduled for Sept. 10.
Bayh said the votes should be counted because there are no allegations of fraud or wrongdoing.
“When a voter goes into the voting booth, they should have faith that their vote is counted if they’ve done everything right,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me to cast aside the intent of the voters. That doesn’t make sense, particularly when there’s been no alleged evidence of fraud.”
Bayh, 30, has never run for office before but had a bird’s-eye view growing up as his father, Evan Bayh, served as Indiana governor and senator. His grandfather also was a U.S. senator.
He has excelled in fundraising, and some believe he could be the first Democrat to win statewide office since 2012. He is already airing television ads in the race.
Ballard said the intent of the voter should be paramount, and he would have counted the voters. Shillings also agreed.
But Engling differed, saying the others are ignoring state law.
“I think when you look what happened with the recount commission, they followed the law,” he said. “They reviewed every ballot. They said, ‘Does this match the code?’ We have code for a reason.”
A significant part of the evening was spent discussing Ballard’s proposal to create and send a paper voter guide to every registered voter to help increase turnout. A software app would also be part of the program costing upwards of $2.5 million each election cycle.
Both Engling and Bayh believe the cost is too high and there are better ways to combat apathy and low voter turnout.
Ballard said afterward it’s clear the major political parties don’t want voters to be informed. He also said if the Republicans and Democrats pay the cost to run primaries rather than the state there would be money to cover that cost.
The foursome also touched on business services provided by the Secretary of State’s Office. Most of them criticized the website while Engling said it is straightforward but state agencies could communicate better between themselves to help businesses.
All four candidates supported adding transparency to business filings by requiring the owners of the company to be listed instead of registered agents. And all four said they would serve a full four-year term.
Ballard’s fledgling Lincoln Party also took some heat during the event.
Engling said parties should be clear about what they stand for and how they will govern.
After the debate, Shillings said the party might gain more traction “if they provided a platform so people knew what they stood for.”
Ballard said his party provides “hope to people who actually want to run for office without punitive signature requirements.”
Ballard is a wild card in the contest, having gathered more than 70,000 signatures to appear on the ballot as an independent under the Lincoln Party label. The 71-year-old has raised significant cash but spent most of it to get on the ballot.
Both Ballard and Bayh are Marine Corps veterans.
Ballard is disillusioned with his former party and wants to give Hoosiers an additional choice at the ballot. If he receives at least 2% of the vote, the Lincoln Party will have automatic ballot access for the next four years.
Shillings also hopes to hit that mark to maintain ballot access for Indiana Libertarians.
She is creative director at the University of Indianapolis, and CEO of Pirate Smile Media — a small business she has run since 2000.
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