Diego Morales (politician)
Diego Morales | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Addressing CPAC Hungary 2023 | |
| 63rd Secretary of State of Indiana | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Governor | Eric Holcomb Mike Braun |
| Preceded by | Holli Sullivan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 15, 1979 Guatemala |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sidonia |
| Education | Indiana University, Southeast (BA) Purdue University (MBA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
Diego Morales (born February 15, 1979) is a Guatemalan-American politician from Indiana. A Republican, he is the Secretary of State of Indiana.
Morales was the only candidate backed by the America First Secretary of State Coalition to win an election.
Early life and career
[edit]Morales is from Guatemala, and immigrated to the United States with his parents and sisters when he was in high school.[1][2] He graduated from Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, Indiana,[3] and earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana University Southeast in 2004.[2][4] He enlisted in the United States Army in 2007, where he was on active duty for three months and 18 days. He transferred to the Indiana National Guard, but did not complete the eight-year commitment.[1][5]
Morales worked for the office of the Secretary of State of Indiana, Todd Rokita. He was fired in 2009, which the office explained as due to his work being "incomplete", with "inefficient execution" and a "lack of focus." He took another job in the secretary of state's office, under Charles P. White in 2011, but was fired after a month for "poor execution" and not completing his work.[6]
Morales earned a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University in 2012.[2][7]
Political career
[edit]
Morales served as an advisor to Governor Mike Pence.[7]
In 2018, then-U.S. Representative Rokita ran for the United States Senate, and Morales ran in the 2018 election for the United States House of Representatives for Indiana's 4th congressional district.[7] During the campaign, Morales was accused of exaggerating his political and military experience.[8] He finished third out of six candidates in the Republican primary election, behind the winner, Jim Baird, and Steve Braun.[9]
Morales declared his candidacy in the 2022 Indiana Secretary of State election. He defeated Holli Sullivan, the incumbent, at the Republican nominating convention.[10] During the campaign, Morales was criticized for using campaign funds to purchase a $43,000 Toyota RAV4 and describing himself as a "veteran" even though he only served in the military for three months and he was in the Indiana Army National Guard and never deployed on active duty (the federal definition of a "veteran" only includes Active Duty service)[11][12] Morales joined the America First Secretary of State Coalition, a coalition of secretary of state candidates who endorsed President Donald Trump's false allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.[4][13] After winning the Republican nomination, he changed his stance on the 2020 presidential election, telling The Washington Post that he believed Biden won legitimately. WTHR commented that Morales received the most negative press of any statewide candidate in Indiana since Richard Mourdock in the 2012 Senate race.[14]
Morales defeated Destiny Wells, the Democratic Party nominee, in the November 8 general election.[15] He was the only "America First" coalition candidate to win election in 2022.[16] Although Morales won by a large margin, he underperformed all other statewide Republican nominees in Indiana by 5–7 percentage points.[17]
Tenure as Secretary of State
[edit]Morales' tenure has been highly scrutinized. He hired his brother-in-law at a salary of $108,000.[18] In 2023, his office gave a spot bonus to nearly every employee in his office for a total of $308,000.[19] The office gave numerous companies no bid contracts to companies that donated to his campaign.[19] He has taken two international trips to India and Hungary. His office claimed he was on an economic development trip in India, despite economic development not being a duty of the Secretary of State.[20] In Hungary, Morales claimed he was on "personal time", yet he visited with government officials in the country.[20] Morales purchased a GMC Yukon Denali for $90,000 with taxpayer funds from a dealership that purchased a donated $65,000 to Morales' campaign.[21]
In May 2025, the Marion County Election Board announced they are investigating Morales over a re-election video for his 2026 campaign, in which the ad featured footage of Morales taken during an official visit to the Marion County Election Service Center.[22]
Personal life
[edit]Morales met his wife, Sidonia, while studying in Europe. She immigrated to the United States and they married in 2013. He has an adult daughter.[4]
Two women have accused Morales of sexually assaulting them. Morales denied their accusations.[23][24]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Davies, Tom (October 28, 2022). "Indiana GOP Touts Candidate's Brief Army Service in Ads". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ a b c Lange, Kaitlin (October 10, 2022). "Indiana Secretary of State election: Diego Morales vs Destiny Wells". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Gerber, Carson (September 23, 2022). "Morales puts Indiana GOP in new territory". News and Tribune. Jeffersonville, Indiana.
- ^ a b c Berggoetz, Barb; Hinnefeld, Steve (October 19, 2022). "He's clear on this much: Though beset by questions and prone to changing his mind, Diego Morales remains firm in resisting changes aimed at increasing voter turnout". TheStatehouseFile.com. Franklin, Indiana: Franklin College.
- ^ Briggs, James (September 21, 2022). "Diego Morales' National Guard service ended for mysterious reasons". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Davies, Tom (June 2, 2022). "Ex-Pence aide seeks Indiana elections office that fired him". WFYI-FM. Associated Press. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c Long, Jamie. "Purdue graduate Diego Morales running for Indiana's 4th Congressional District". WLFI-TV. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
- ^ Slodysko, Brian (March 15, 2018). "Ex-Pence Indiana aide running for Congress defends resume". Journal & Courier. Lafayette, Indiana. Associated Press.
- ^ Colombo, Hayleigh (May 9, 2018). "Jim Baird defeats Steve Braun, Diego Morales in U.S. House GOP primary race". Indianapolis Business Journal.
- ^ Smith, Brandon (June 19, 2022). "Diego Morales upsets Secretary of State Holli Sullivan at Indiana GOP convention". WFYI-FM. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Lange, Kaitlin (July 19, 2022). "Secretary of State candidate Diego Morales used campaign funds for $43,000 car". The Indianapolis Star.
- ^ Sells, Jack (September 16, 2022). "Diego Morales responds to criticism of using "veteran" to describe himself". TheStatehouseFile.com. Franklin, Indiana: Franklin College.
- ^ Wren, Adam (November 7, 2022). "A potential bright spot for Dems in Indiana". Politico.
- ^ Howey, Brian (October 27, 2022). "Howey: Diego Morales and the press". WTHR. Indianapolis, Indiana.
- ^ Scharf, Nadia (November 8, 2022). "Republican Diego Morales claims victory in controversial Indiana Secretary of State race". Indiana Daily Student. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Corasaniti, Nick (November 12, 2022). "Jim Marchant's Defeat in Nevada Is Yet Another Loss for Election Deniers". The New York Times. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Lange, Kaitlin; Huang, Binghui; Burris, Alexandria (November 8, 2022). "Republicans win Indiana auditor, treasurer & secretary of state races". The Indianapolis Star.
- ^ Segall, Bob (February 16, 2023). "Yes, Indiana's Secretary of State did hire his brother-in-law for a $108,000 job in his state agency". WTHR.
- ^ a b Smith, Casey (December 9, 2024). "Secretary of state spending includes millions in no-bid contracts". Indiana Capital Chronicle.
- ^ a b Carloni, Brittany (May 28, 2023). "Where in the world is Diego Morales? His office wouldn't give specifics". The Indianapolis Star.
- ^ Colombo, Hayleigh (April 4, 2025). "Diego Morales' $90K SUV came from dealership that gave him $65K in campaign donations". The Indianapolis Star.
- ^ McCoy, Dylan Peers (May 23, 2025). "Marion County Election Board investigating Diego Morales". WFYI.
- ^ Shabazz, Abdul-Hakim (September 30, 2022). "Diego's Denial". IndyPolitics.Org. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Lange, Kaitlin (September 30, 2022). "Indiana Secretary of State candidate faces sexual assault allegation". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 14, 2022.