Republican Diego Morales wins Indiana secretary of state race

Republican Diego Morales cruised to victory Tuesday despite troubling questions about his background, indicating Indiana is increasingly becoming a one-party state.

Morales claimed victory shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday and Democrat Destiny Wells conceded about 20 minutes later. With about 92% of the vote counted Wednesday afternoon., Morales had 54% of the vote, Wells had 40% of the vote and Libertarian James Maurer had nearly 6% of the vote.

Morales' victory secured the Republican party's continued complete control over Indiana state government, leaving Hoosier Democrats once again grappling with a disappointing election night. The race was one of Democrats' best shots at winning the party's first statewide victory in a decade, due to the glut of controversies Morales faced.

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"The truth always prevails," Morales said Tuesday to a small, but loud and standing crowd of supporters at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. "Let me say that again: The truth always prevails.

In a speech before supporters at the Nevermore Union Station venue about a mile away Tuesday, Wells said her campaign fell short. She devoted her time talking about what lies ahead for Indiana in the next four years.

“It’s very serious,” she said. “We were on the precipice of something amazing — an amazing opportunity for Indiana with this office. We were about to flip Indiana blue for the first time in a decade, but we fell a little short. Now it is upon you, Hoosiers, who will be charged with who is securing our elections because our next secretary of state is going to need all of our help in a very big way.”

Laura Merrifield Wilson, a University of Indianapolis political science professor, blamed Wells' lost on two factors: straight ticket voters in a red state and an anti-President Biden wave across the country.

"Whenever you’re the party in power," Merrifield Wilson said, "you’re going to be punished the next election cycle."

Morales also outraised Wells this year in the high-dollar race as Republicans poured money into his coffers. Morales raised just shy of $1.06 million, compared to Wells who raised under $742,000.

Over the course of his campaign, Morales was bashed for having once been fired from the secretary of state's office and resigning another time after questions arose about his performance. Since his victory, two women accused Morales of sexual assault, accusations which he has strongly denied. He’s also been accused of exaggerating his military experience, with records showing he spent three months and 18 days on active duty as part of his training period, and separated before his 8-year commitment was up.

And, IndyStar columnist James Briggs wrote that he may have violated Indiana election law in 2018 because records show he maintained a primary residence in Marion County while twice voting in Hendricks County registered to a another address.

Morales declined an interview with an IndyStar reporter Tuesday after his election speech.

Briggs: Diego Morales' defense of his military record is a disaster

Morales, a former Pence aide, earned a spot on the November ballot after beating current Secretary of State Holli Sullivan during the Republican convention in June. He emerged as an anti-establishment favorite among party insiders upset with Gov. Eric Holcomb's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Holcomb had chosen Sullivan to fill out the remainder of former Secretary of State Connie Lawson when she resigned before the end of her term.

Morales campaigned on the idea that he is an example of the American Dream, because he immigrated from Guatemala before landing multiple jobs in state government including for the Pence administration.

Indiana Election Results:Get the latest results here as they come in

"We started from scratch," Morales said during his victory speech. "… now you have a son elected as the next and first Hispanic Latino Secretary of State in Indiana."

At times during his campaign, Morales questioned the validity of the 2020 election results and suggested implementing more guardrails on the process, including requiring every Hoosiers to attach a photo of their ID in order to request an absentee ballot and implementing more audits. He also at one point suggested reducing the number of early voting days, but later changed his mind.

Meanwhile, Wells, an attorney who has worked for both the city and Indiana Attorney General's office, spent much of her attention this campaign cycle focusing on the need for the state's top election official to instill voter confidence in the election results, a dig at Morales.

In her speech, Wells reflected on the kindness shown to her on the campaign trail. It’s going to take the entire party, no matter the factions, and Republicans looking for a new home to work toward expanding Indiana’s Democratic Party, she said.

Mike Schmuhl, party chair, praised Wells.

“The numbers are still coming in. We’re going to see what it looks like, but Destiny has ran a heck of a campaign," he said. "She has traveled all over this state,”

While Morales has already claimed victory, the final vote count of the race is also important to the Libertarian party: if the party claims 2% of the vote, which it is on track to do, it gains general election ballot access. Had the party obtained 10% of the vote, it would have been able to participate in the state's primary process.

Call IndyStar Statehouse and political watchdog reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270 or email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2022 Indiana elections: Diego Morales wins race for secretary of state