Indiana Secretary of State
A close race for Indiana's secretary of state ended in a win for Democrat Beau Bayh.
Much of Bayh's campaign has hinged on the idea of holding current Secretary of State Diego Morales accountable to voters. "Too many decisions have been made behind closed doors by insiders," Bayh said in a victory speech.
Bayh said his first action in office will be to conduct an independent audit of the office and make the results public.
The highly visible contest has been surrounded by lawsuits, expensive ads, and endorsements.
Speaking to a somber crowd late Tuesday, Republican candidate Max Engling conceded to Bayh.
"The voters have made their decision and it's not what we wanted, it's not what we were pushing for, but we fully respect that decision," Engling said. "I will call him when I get off this stage, the new secretary of state, and wish him success for the good of all Hoosiers here in Indiana."
Polling for secretary of state candidates showed Bayh and Engling were very close in the final days of the election.
A Democrat will hold the office for the first time since 1994, when current Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett held the position.
Bayh told reporters Tuesday night that he is not an "overly partisan person," which will enable him to work well with the other Republican leaders who hold all other statewide offices.
"If the governor and the attorney general or whomever else in our state government would like to help me with cleaning up some of what we can all agree is wasteful spending and insider dealing in this office, then I welcome their support in doing that," Bayh said.
Bayh said he wants to keep working toward legislative priorities like eliminating straight ticket voting and implementing citizen-led ballot initiatives.
Independent Greg Ballard and Libertarian Lauri Shillings trailed behind in the race, but that hasn't stopped Ballard from finding ways to stay in the news.
Ballard received more than 2% of the vote, allowing his newly established Lincoln Party to have ballot access.
Nathan Gotsch will serve as Chair for the Lincoln Party and spoke Tuesday night. "I am pleased to announce that the Lincoln Party has officially arrived in Indiana," Gotsch said.
Constitutional amendments
Indiana also decided to change the state's constitution to allow courts more opportunities to deny bail to those they believe pose a risk to public safety or an individual's welfare.
Currently, Indiana law only allows bail to be denied in two circumstances: in cases involving murder or treason, and when there is strong evidence against them.
This effort to change the state constitution has been underway since 2023.
The second public question asked voters was about where judges may live. Voters approved the question which now will allow city or town court judges to live in the bordering county or town of the court where they work.
Indiana State Comptroller
The race for the state's comptroller ended with a projected win for Democrat Jessica Bailey Tuesday night. Bailey is currently a Porter County Clerk.
The race between incumbent Republican Elise Nieshalla and Bailey was close. Libertarian John Schick also ran for the position.
Nieshalla was appointed in 2023 by then-Gov. Eric Holcomb after her predecessor, Tera Klutz, resigned. The role was initially called the state auditor, butthe name was changed with Klutz.
Indiana State Treasurer
Republican Daniel Elliot will remain Indiana's treasurer. He faced Democrat Coumba Kebe.
At a return party Tuesday night Elliot acknowledged Republicans around the state had lost ground. "Some of our friends are having a rough night," Elliot said.
Elliott was first elected to the seat in 2022. The candidate is selected by a party nominating committee instead of by a primary vote. Elliott was selected to run for treasurer in 2026 after the Republican convention in June. He was uncontested for that role among Republicans.
Indiana Court of Appeals and Tax Court
Unofficial results show all three judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals and one Indiana Tax Court judge will retain their seats. On the ballot Tuesday, voters answered yes or no to the retention question.
The Indiana Court of Appeals is the second-highest court in the state and hears all appeals from the state's trial courts and some state agencies. Any verdict from the Indiana Court of Appeals is final, unless reviewed or overturned by the Indiana Supreme Court.
The Indiana Court of Appeals is composed of a panel of 15 judges, nominated by the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission and appointed by the governor.
Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Dana Kenworthy, Judge Mary DeBoer and Judge Paul Felix will all retain their seats. Indiana Tax Court Judge Justin McAdam will also retain his seat.
