Max Engling

Max Engling

Republican Party

Candidate, Indiana Secretary of State

Elections and appointments

Last convention

June 20, 2026

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, 2010

Graduate

U.S. Naval War College, 2020

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Government

Contact

Campaign website

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Max Engling (Republican Party) is running for election for Indiana Secretary of State. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026.^[source] He advanced from the Republican convention on June 20, 2026.

Engling completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Max Engling earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis in 2010 and a graduate degree from the U.S. Naval War College in 2020. His career experience includes working in government.

2026 battleground election

See also: Indiana Secretary of State election, 2026

Ballotpedia identified the November 3 election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election here

Beau Bayh (D), Max Engling (R), Greg Ballard (I), and Lauri Shillings (L) are running for Indiana Secretary of State in the November 3, 2026, general election. Bayh, Engling, and Ballard lead in media attention and fundraising.

Republicans have controlled the secretary's office since 1994. Incumbent Diego Morales (R) lost to Engling at the June 20 Republican convention. Indiana Capital Chronicle's Leslie Bonilla Muñiz wrote, "What is typically a low-interest, down-ballot contest has gained prominence in recent years as state leaders take cues from President Donald Trump’s administration and toughen voting laws."

Bayh said Engling represented the same "corruption, insider dealing, and waste of taxpayer money" as Morales, while Engling framed the general election as a fight to "push back against the Democrats' attempts to undo common sense election integrity laws." Ballard said, "It didn't matter who the Republicans nominated today. There are more independents in Indiana than Republicans or Democrats, and this November they will finally have a true independent to vote for."

Bayh earned his bachelor's degree in government and his law degree from Harvard University. He served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked as a judicial law clerk and attorney. Bayh said he is running "to fix a corrupt office, and to take on a broken political system that doesn't serve us. Right now, the Secretary of State's office shows exactly what's gone wrong. Instead of serving Hoosiers, that office has been used to cut backroom deals, with our tax dollars funding perks for politicians and their insider friends."

Engling earned his bachelor's degree in political science and psychology from Indiana University Indianapolis and his master's degree in defense and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. His career experience included working as the central Indiana regional director and adviser to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks (R). Engling’s campaign website said he would “fight for Conservative election reforms, including ensuring that only citizens can vote in Indiana elections, closing primaries to prevent crossover voting, improving oversight and monitoring of business fraud, and creating greater transparency through a portal that allows citizens to report potential election issues directly.”

Ballard earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Indiana University and a master's degree in military science from the Marine Corps University. He served 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a lieutenant colonel, and served two terms as mayor of Indianapolis from 2008 to 2016. Ballard is running as an independent under the Lincoln Party and argues he is most experienced, saying: "They've never led anything of significance in their lives, and I have," and that the secretary should be "ready to lead on day one."

The Indiana Secretary of State is one of five statewide, elected constitutional officers. The secretary is responsible for "maintenance of state records and preservation of the state seal." The secretary also charters new businesses, regulates the securities industry within Indiana, oversees state elections, commissions notaries public, and provides trademark and licensing services to Indiana automotive dealers.

Indiana is one of 24 states with a Republican triplex, meaning Republicans hold the governorship, the secretary of state's office, and the attorney general's office. The next gubernatorial and attorney general elections will occur in 2028.

For more information about the conventions in this election, click on the links below:

• Indiana Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 20 Republican convention)
• Indiana Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 6 Democratic convention)

Elections

2026

See also: Indiana Secretary of State election, 2026

Indiana Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 6 Democratic convention)

Indiana Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 20 Republican convention)

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Indiana Secretary of State

Beau Bayh (D), Max Engling (R), Lauri Shillings (L), Greg Ballard (Lincoln Party), and Andrew Delano (National Socialist American Workers' Party) are running in the general election for Indiana Secretary of State on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Beau Bayh (D)
		Max Engling  (R)
		Lauri Shillings  (L)
		Greg Ballard (Lincoln Party)
	Submit photo	Andrew Delano (National Socialist American Workers' Party) (Write-in)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Beau Bayh (D) defeated Blythe Potter (D) in the Democratic convention for Indiana Secretary of State on June 6, 2026.

		Candidate
✔		Beau Bayh
		Blythe Potter

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	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Max Engling (R) defeated David Shelton (R), incumbent Diego Morales (R), and Jamie Reitenour (R) in the Republican convention for Indiana Secretary of State on June 20, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Max Engling	53.3	867
		David Shelton	38.5	627
		Diego Morales	8.2	134
		Jamie Reitenour	0.0	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,628
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Note: The Republican convention went through two rounds of voting. The vote box above includes the final round of results. In the first round, Engling received 715 votes, Shelton received 543 votes, Morales received 283 votes, and Reitenour received 135 votes. Reitenour did not advance to the final round.

Libertarian Party convention

Libertarian Party convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Lauri Shillings (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for Indiana Secretary of State on March 22, 2026.

		Candidate
✔		Lauri Shillings

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	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Ratings

Engling received ratings or grades from the following organizations. To send us additional ratings, click here.

• iVoterGuide

2024

See also: Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2024

Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Republican primary)

Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Incumbent Victoria Spartz defeated Deborah A. Pickett, Robby Slaughter, and Lauri Shillings in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Victoria Spartz (R)	56.6	203,293
		Deborah A. Pickett (D)	38.0	136,554
		Robby Slaughter (Independent)	2.7	9,790
		Lauri Shillings (L)	2.7	9,567

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 359,204
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Deborah A. Pickett defeated Ryan Pfenninger in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Deborah A. Pickett	59.5	11,858
		Ryan Pfenninger	40.5	8,082

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,940
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jeremy Lee Edom (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Victoria Spartz	39.1	31,674
		Chuck Goodrich	33.2	26,865
		Max Engling	9.7	7,841
		Raju Chinthala	7.1	5,742
		Mark Hurt	5.5	4,431
	Submit photo	Larry L. Savage Jr.	1.9	1,569
		Matthew Peiffer	1.7	1,379
		Patrick Malayter	1.0	800
		Lonnie Powell	0.9	729

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,030
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Scott King (R)
• Scott Goad (R)
• Rodney Cummings (R)
• Jonathan Brown (R)

Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements or voter guide recommendations for Engling in this election.

Pledges

Engling signed the following pledges.

• Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Max Engling completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Engling's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Max Engling is a Christian, Conservative, husband, and father of four running for Indiana Secretary of State. Raised in a large Hoosier family, Max learned the values of faith, hard work, and personal responsibility early in life.

A graduate of IUPUI and the U.S. Naval War College (civilian track), Max has experience in both the private and public sectors, from working in agriculture, construction, and supporting small businesses to serving as senior staff in Congress, including on House Administration, the chief elections committee, where he focused on oversight, training, and guiding conservative legislation across the House.

Now living in Cicero with his family, Max most recently worked for U.S. Senator Jim Banks and traveled the state meeting with Hoosiers about the issues that matter most to them: secure elections, less government, and stronger support for small businesses.

As Secretary of State, Max will fight to protect election integrity, reduce government red tape, and uphold Indiana’s conservative values.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Election security: Indiana is a national leader in election security for holding the line on voter ID laws, citizenship verification, and ensuring the security of absentee ballots. I will work to build on this strong foundation and work proactively to give our voters confidence in our elections. My opponent and the national Democrats want Washington, D.C., and San Francisco-style elections – non-citizens voting, ballot harvesting, and foreign nationals participating in elections. Hoosier voters have repeatedly told me they do not want to happen in Indiana.
• Stop Business Fraud: Crack down on shell trucking companies and fraudulent corporate front operations abusing Indiana's business filings. I will screen business filings to stop companies, often fraudulent trucking companies, that register and dissolve identical LLCs to avoid the repercussions as they defraud customers, avoid regulations, and employ dangerous drivers on Indiana roads. As Secretary of State, I would use the office to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and simplify business filings - when we make it easier for Hoosier entrepreneurs to succeed, businesses can grow, hire more workers, and provide higher wages and better opportunities.
• Transparency portal: a direct channel for citizens to report potential election issues themselves. Hoosiers deserve transparency and for their Secretary of State to be accessible - this tool will create a direct pipeline to express concern and bring sunlight to important issues.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I have nearly 20 years of experience in both politics and policy on top of my private sector experience - I am passionate about building effective coalitions around good policy, allowing strong ideas to be become actionable and implementable policy so the office of Secretary of State can help continue to drive Indiana in the right direction.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/79312/race/30595/election/1456

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Max Engling completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Engling's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Max Engling is a devoted public servant and Congressional candidate, who champions conservative principles: fiscal responsibility, limited government, family values, and the rule of law.

As a Christian and family-oriented Hoosier, he's committed to reducing government intrusion, fostering prosperity for Indiana families, and bringing sanity back to Washington. With over a decade of experience in conservative public service, he's dedicated to defending the sanctity of life, securing our borders, and curbing reckless spending.

Max Engling embodies faith, family, and a brighter future for Indiana and the United States.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Reducing inflation and renewing American energy
• Protecting family values and limiting government intrusion
• Securing the border and securing our towns and cities

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Bringing down the cost of living.

The federal government has lost it's way economically; we need to cut spending in Washington and renew American energy. The current plan of raising interest rates only moves the economic pain from one place to another.

Family values. Parents and the nuclear family are under attack. Parents are the primary authority of their children and best equipped to make decisions on their behalf. We need to protect the unborn and then care for and love our children, mothers, and families at every stage.

Getting the government out of our lives.

Washington keeps inventing new ways to reach into our lives, businesses, families, and bank accounts. We need to limit the size and reach of government and make it clear that we are better off with fewer regulations and less intrusion from DC.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Max Engling campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	U.S. House Indiana District 5	Lost primary	$206,559	$206,559
Grand total			$206,559	$206,559
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also

2026 Elections

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Who represents me? U.S. CongressState executivesState legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal governmentList of school districts in Indiana

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Footnotes

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