Indiana
Indiana Republicans nominate Max Engling for secretary of state at GOP Convention in Fort Wayne
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Republican delegates selected Max Engling as their nominee for Indiana Secretary of State on Saturday, defeating incumbent Diego Morales at the Indiana GOP State Convention in Fort Wayne.
Roughly 1,800 Republican delegates gathered at the Grand Wayne Convention Center to choose the party’s nominee. Engling, a Hamilton County resident and former senior advisor to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, will now advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
He will face Democratic nominee Beau Bayh and Libertarian nominee Lauri Shillings. Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is also expected to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate after his campaign announced Saturday it had collected more than 52,500 signatures, exceeding the number needed to qualify.
Following his victory, Engling said he was grateful to the delegates and fellow candidates.
“I’m very thankful, very blessed to move forward into the general election,” Engling said. “I’m thankful to the delegates. I’m thankful to the other candidates that ran great races.”
Engling said the campaign will focus heavily on election administration and Republican priorities heading into November.
“We’re going to win when we get there in November,” he said. “The goal is to have common sense solutions where we tighten our security around our elections. I’ve already said it — we’re here to close the primaries, make sure that only citizens are voting in our elections, and to stop the business fraud that we’ve seen in these shell trucking companies that have popped up around the state.”
He said those efforts would begin immediately if elected.
“Priority on day one, we’re going to work with the statehouse to close the primaries,” Engling said. “We already have legislation in the statehouse right now, and we’re pressing on that immediately.”
Engling also addressed the broader political environment, including the possibility of independent candidates on the ballot.
“So, Indiana wants common-sense voting laws,” he said. “They don’t want to move over to a third party; they want to vote for the conservative, Republican option. We’re excited for that.”
He added that Republicans must remain unified heading into the general election.
“Two rounds of voting, understood,” Engling said. “We know that Republicans need to move forward together. That is my mission. So, we are moving forward as a team.”
Engling said the campaign will stay focused on voter turnout and message discipline.
“We’re going to run our race with who we’ve already put forward,” he said. “We’re not looking at what the other folks are doing. We’re going to be energized on our side and say, ‘How do we make sure that our voters are coming out?’ We’re moving forward as a Republican team.”
He closed by emphasizing unity after a competitive convention.
“We are one Republican team,” Engling said. “We know that. We’re going to move forward as a unified team.”
Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott also spoke during the convention, thanking delegates and reflecting on Republican performance heading into November.
“Well, I’m grateful for the Republican Party and their trust in me,” Elliott said. “I worked really hard these last four years to show that we can get good work done. And I think it paid off.”
Elliott said the focus now shifts to the general election.
“November, that is where it really counts, because November is when we’re going to the people of Indiana to say, ‘Here’s what we’ve done,’” he said. “We have good leadership, good Republican leadership. We have good results, our state is one of the top business states in the country. I raised $1.24 billion in two years, which is double what was done in the previous decade. We’ve got a good winning message, so I’m ready for November, and we really want to get everyone’s vote.”
He encouraged voter participation across the state.
“I appreciate your support, I appreciate your support to get here, and now, we need y’all to get out,” Elliott said. “We need to get out, all of us, and vote. This is a sacred responsibility, and it really means something. We need everyone, especially Republicans, to get out and vote.”
Elliott also noted internal confidence within the party following a contested convention process.
“I’ve been very fortunate that the party supports me,” he said. “The reason we didn’t have any opponents is because we’ve worked really hard and people have seen the good work and what we’ve put forth, and they say, ‘Yes, that is who we need.’”
The convention marks only the third time in the last century that the Indiana Republican Party has held its state convention outside Indianapolis.
“This has surpassed the perfection of the 2014 convention,” Allen County Republican Party Chairman Steve Shine said. “I’ve heard nothing but accolades about how great our city is from people who haven’t been here in the last 12 years.”
Shine said the competitive Secretary of State race helped drive enthusiasm among convention attendees.
“There were four great candidates that worked very hard to secure the votes of the delegates,” Shine said. “Today, the winner showed that they were the one with the most perseverance and were able to convince the delegates that they were the right person to face the Democrats in the fall.”
The Secretary of State contest became increasingly contentious in recent weeks after Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Banks withdrew their support for Morales, citing concerns about his ability to win in November.
Rokita said he believes Republicans will unite behind Engling despite the contentious nomination battle.
“Oh, it’s going to play out fine,” Rokita said. “We do this a lot better than Democrats, let me tell you that.”
Following Engling’s victory, Rokita predicted Republicans would rally behind the nominee despite the hard-fought contest.
“Republicans, because we’re all individuals at heart, it’s in our DNA to have these discussions and then unify together,” Rokita said. “I’ve been the candidate in four conventions. Most of them contested.”
Rokita, a former Indiana Secretary of State himself, said he expects the party to come together ahead of the general election. The attorney general said he expects the party to rally around Engling ahead of November.
“Our party has always coalesced around me and against the Democrat in the fall,” Rokita said. “I expect the same thing now.”
Indiana voters will decide the state’s next Secretary of State during the Nov. 3 general election, when Engling faces Bayh, Shillings and potentially Ballard on the statewide ballot.
A lengthy closure is expected on I-94 after a crash involving four vehicles in Michigan City, Indiana, on Saturday morning.
According to Indiana State Police, eastbound lanes are shut down a mile west of U.S. 421.
State police said one of the drivers was impaired. No further details were provided.
Police expect an “lengthy closure” and are encouraging drivers to seek alternate routes.
This is a developing story. CBS News Chicago will continue to provide updates.
After Three Diamonds Farm’s Creole Chrome got bounced around by some of the country’s best and fastest 3-year-olds, trainer Joe Sharp thought a confidence-builder was in order before heading to Saturday’s $300,000, Grade 3 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Would an 18-length romp work? That was Creole Chrome’s winning margin against fellow Louisiana-breds in Evangeline Downs’ Louisiana Legends Cheval Stakes at a two-turn mile on June 6.
“Mission accomplished,” Sharp said by phone from Saratoga. “He came out of the race in really good order. We wanted to try taking the blinkers off and going back to a stretch-out. He was able to relax nicely going into the first turn, set off those two horses, and I think he made the lead just on class alone. But he just seemed real comfortable, within himself, and you know that gave him some confidence to try a little bit deeper water again.”
That comes in the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby, where Creole Chrome is among the leading contenders in what shapes up as a field of seven 3-year-olds. A chestnut son of Three Chimneys’ Grade 1-winning Kentucky stallion Volatile, Creole Chrome was foaled in Louisiana and began his career winning three of four starts against Louisiana-breds at the Fair Grounds.
That encouraged his team to take a shot at Keeneland’s Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass, where a win or second could have secured a spot in the Kentucky Derby. Creole Chrome finished fourth, with Further Ado rolling to an 11-length victory. Instead of the Derby, Creole Chrome ran the same day in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile around one turn. He again was up close early before weakening to sixth.
“I think we asked him to be quick, to be close in a couple of spots,” Sharp reflected. “It was kind of a reset to go down to Louisiana and try something different, and it all worked out well.
“We were obviously expecting to win the race, but we were also trying to use it as a building block to set us up for this race here. What we were hoping to accomplish was to be able to sit, just be able to settle a little bit early. And that’s what we saw; that’s what we were happy with. Obviously, as the waters get deeper, you can’t be one-dimensional if you want to take on more upper levels of competition.”
Sharp said Creole Chrome was too much on the engine in the Blue Grass.
“That was the first time he’d gotten a little bit keen on us,” he said. “I kind of gave Tyler (Gaffalione) instructions that probably were bad. Because I was anticipating him to be able to kind of squeeze away from there, get a good position, and then the horse would relax for him. Once he squeezed on him, he didn’t relax and just never really shut off. Same thing back to the Pat Day Mile, Irad (Ortiz) had ridden him in the morning, had a lot of confidence in him. When he broke and asked him to get position, he wouldn’t get off the bridle and then was five-wide — just not the way you can win a big race. So yeah, I think we all just kind of learned something about the horse. That’s why the race in Louisiana was important, just to explore a new tactic with him.”
Creole Chrome will have his sixth different rider in six races (Timothy Thornton rode him at Evangeline Downs), with Ortiz riding the Brad Cox-trained Leading Change, who could be made the Indiana Derby betting favorite off an impressive debut race. Sharp was able to get another nationally prominent jockey in Junior Alvarado, winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes on Horse of the Year Sovereignty. Alvarado was coming to Horseshoe Indianapolis to ride Star Actress in the $200,000, Grade 3 Indiana Oaks for trainer Bill Mott.
“He’s never going to be a horse that’s far back, right?” Sharp said. “We’re not going to fight him if he’s on the lead. But just the ability to shut off and relax is what he seemed to really show that he could do in that last race at Louisiana.”
Sharp is among those who think the public will make Leading Change the favorite off his 6 1/2-length maiden win at Churchill Downs, even if it’s his only start and came at seven furlongs.
“We ran second to Brad’s horse in that maiden race at Churchill Downs, and we liked our horse (Don’s Winner) a lot,” Sharp said. “So, I was impressed by his horse that day. Obviously, Creole has a lot more seasoning, so hopefully the race experience will help him out, because you know Brad’s horse is not short of ability.”
Ortiz seconds that opinion of Leading Change, opting to come to Indiana to ride instead of being at Saratoga.
“He won nicely the first time out in the debut,” Ortiz said up at Saratoga. “He is very straightforward and has a good mind. I was working him last year and, unfortunately, he did not make the races (as a 2-year-old). He was working good, and he has looked like a nice horse since Day One. First time out, the way he did it was impressive.
“Obviously, he just broke his maiden. But he can step up a little bit with some nice horses.”
Sharp does get the services of Ortiz aboard Miwa, one of the favorites in the $100,000 Indiana General Assembly Distaff Handicap on the Indiana Derby undercard. Miwa won a Churchill Downs allowance race in her first start since November.
“She ran a great race back off the layoff the other day,” he said. “She was really, really good to us at Kentucky Downs. She won down there, and I wheeled her back in eight days, and she ran third in a $2 million stakes. In hindsight, that kind of wiped her out for the year. She was kind of a little flat after that, so they freshened her, brought her back, and she ran a huge race. We’re trying to get her a stakes win, get her some black type.”
Sharp also has the stakes-winning Seminole Chief in the $100,000 Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial for older males on turf. In his first start for Sharp last time out, Seminole Chief won a $75,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs.
“He’s obviously has the back class to be competitive against these kinds,” Sharp said. “I thought he ran one of his best races in recent years the other day. So, staying local and giving him a little shot at picking up some more black type made sense. But I thought that race came up pretty tough.”
Indiana Derby Day begins at 12 p.m. for the 13-race card. Additional activities surround the event trackside, including a $3,000 Indiana Derby Megabet drawing, $2,500 Indiana Derby Day Legends contest sponsored by Indiana HBPA, and a $1,000 Indiana Derby Hat Contest. Fans will also be treated to a cigar rolling station, selfie station, and face painting for the kids. Food trucks and various booths will also be available throughout the day, leading up to the Indiana Derby set as Race 12 on the program.
The 24th season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse extends through Friday, November 13. For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing.
This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions please contact the organization that produced the release.
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