Beau Bayh captures Indiana Secretary of State race, NBC News projects

Elections Beau Bayh captures Indiana Secretary of State race, NBC News projects Indiana's Secretary of State race will go to Democratic contender Beau Bayh, NBC News is projecting By James Neveau • Published November 3, 2026 • Updated on November 3, 2026 at 10:40 pm For the first time since 2012 an Indiana Democrat has won a statewide race, as Beau Bayh is projected to win the Secretary of State’s race. According to NBC News, Bayh will defeat Republican contender Max Engling in the hotly contested race to replace Secretary of State Diego Morales, who lost his bid for the Republican nomination earlier this year. Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. WATCH HERE Bayh is the son of former Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh and the grandson of former Sen. Birch Bayh. He is a Marine Corps veteran and has been serving as a judicial clerk in Bloomington after graduating from law school, according to his website. In an election cycle that saw Democrats pressing Republicans in traditionally red strongholds, the race drew a lot of interest from the national press, and Bayh is projected to deliver with a victory in the tightly contested battle. Bayh was critical of Engling’s push to motivate Republicans to turn out to the ballot box, saying the race should have been about the vision for the office instead. “He views it in terms of tribal politics, back your team no matter what. I view it in terms of public service,” he told Ahern. “Do what’s right for the people of Indiana regardless of the pressures put on me by a political party.” He also emphasized concerns of Indiana residents about finances in this year’s election cycle. Elections Illinois Election 2026 Nov 4 A breakdown of what happened in the 2026 Midterm elections Illinois Election 2026 Nov 4 How did Illinois vote in governor's race compared to 2022? Map shows which counties flipped “Hoosiers are very skeptical about wars without ends in sight in the Middle East. And we currently are in one of those, and it’s had the added negative effect of increasing costs for everybody. The cost of diesel and fertilizers is through the roof. This is an agricultural state,” he said. As for his famous lineage, Bayh says that he is proud to be the son and grandson of Indiana political royalty, but that the most important lesson he’s gleaned from that experience has been about the value of public service. “I will tell you, growing up, when you can see the impact of public service firsthand, that influences you, and I’ve been very lucky in my life. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities available to me. I want to make the most of them,” he said. This article tagged under: Elections