NORTH WEBSTER — U.S. Sen. Jim Banks touched on three main points in his keynote address Saturday at the Kosciusko County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner - America 250, the election of Max Engling as Indiana’s next secretary of state and the SAVE America Act.

“The first thing I want to talk about is America 250 because I think this sums up where we are today,” he said. “What I find when I go to Washington every week is, you’re a Republican or a Democrat, but at the end of the day you either believe one of two things, and I think this sums up where we are in American politics today.”

Banks said you either believe on America’s 250th birthday the United States is the “greatest country in the history of the world” and that America 250 is worth celebrating, or “you don’t believe this is the greatest country in history, and today I think, ladies and gentlemen, that sums up the difference between us and them, and I see it on Capitol Hill.”

Last Tuesday, Banks said America saw that difference in a “really big way that makes it more clear what’s at stake than I think maybe in politics than we’ve ever seen it before.” He was referring to “the new crop of Socialist, Communist Democrats that won in New York.”

Darializa Avila Chevalier beat incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat for the 13th District. Claire Valdez won her primary in the 7th District, and Brad Lander won his in the 10th.

“It’s not just three of them. This is the wing of the National Democrat Party that has taken over their party. I’m telling you that because I see it firsthand on the floor of the United States Senate. When I was in the House just five years ago ... the Progressive caucus in the House of Representatives was made up of six representatives,” Banks said.

“Today that caucus is made up of over half of the entire Democrat caucus in the House of Representatives. And in the Senate, you see these crazy, lunatic Democrats getting nominated in these states like the Nazi-tattooed candidate in Maine. Just north of us in Michigan you have (Abdul) El-Sayed, who is a radical, radical Democrat with a dangerous anti-American ideology that’s likely to be nominated.”

The three winners in New York last week are “guaranteed” to go to Washington, D.C., after winning their districts in November, Banks said before reading a little bit of information about each of them.

On Chevalier’s website, Banks said she talks about being a prison abolitionist. He noted that Republicans support the police and law enforcement. “This particular Democrat doesn’t. She thinks that prisons are racist, they’re unnecessary, we should release violent criminals and just put them on the streets because that’s what this wing of the Democratic Party believes. She also believes in abolishing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement),” Banks said, adding he fully supports ICE officers.

Valdez won an open seat in Queens. Banks said Valdez says on her website she is for “granting citizenship and voting rights to illegal aliens who were deported. That’s one of her top campaign promises. She wants to nationalize the airline industry - can you imagine how awful the airlines would be if you put like the BMV in charge of our airline industry? It would be a disaster.”

Banks said Valdez also advocates for using taxpayer funds for all transgender treatments and surgeries, and she wants to completely abolish private health insurance.

Lander unseated another Democrat in West Brooklyn, Banks stated. Lander supports abolishing ICE, wants to forgive $2 trillion in student loans and expand the U.S. Supreme Court.

“So, you get the point, right? These are anti-American Democrats who have taken over the Democrat Party,” Banks said.

He talked about how his dad formerly was a Democrat and how President Donald Trump made the GOP the party of the working-class voters.

“We want our party to be that, to reflect that,” Banks said. “... Let me tell you, friends. This is not my dad’s Democrat Party. This is not my grandpa’s Democratic Party. This is a radical, anti-American Democrat Party who fundamentally wants to flip America upside down and change it. And we can’t let them do that, but these are the Democrats who have taken over the party. That’s what they believe in today.”

Only 29% of Democrats today say they’re proud to be an American, according to recent polling, Banks pointed out.
“So I want all of you to think about that as we celebrate America 250, because I know all of you agree with me that this country is great. This country is the greatest country in the history of the world,” Banks said. “... I would say that we’re on the right side of history. This is a great country.”

Transitioning to what he called the “most important race that we’ve had in Indiana in 20 years,” Banks then talked about the secretary of state race “that is the top of the ballot.”

Engling, who previously worked in Banks’ office, secured the Republican nomination at the Republican convention on June 29, beating out incumbent Diego Morales and two others. In the November general election, Engling goes up against Democrat Beau Bayh, Libertarian Lauri Shillings and former Republican Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, who is seeking the office as an independent.

Banks said, “I think we have become way too darn complacent as Republicans because we’re used to the (state Rep.) Dave Abbott and the Republican leadership that we’ve had in this state for a generation. I feel like we’ve loosened up a little bit and the Democrats know it, too. That’s why the Democrats just nominated Beau Bayh, the third iteration of the Bayh family.

“This is a kid who, of no fault of his own, moved to the Swamp when he was 3 years old with his dad when he became a senator. His dad, Evan Bayh, who was the governor for eight years, then became a United States senator. This is a guy (Beau) who went ... to the most elite prep school in America in Washington, D.C., that cost more every single year than my dad ever made in his life, and that’s the type of prep school that he went to.”

Banks said after that, Beau didn’t move to Indiana but went to Harvard University. Banks said Beau left Indiana at age 3, was born with a “silver spoon” in his mouth and just moved back to Indiana a year ago.

“Why? To run for secretary of state because he’s the Democrats’ next best hope to try to rehabilitate the Democrat Party in Indiana. He’s got the famous last name, he’s got all the Wall Street and Swampy connections from his dad and his grandpa, being senators long ago from this state,” Banks said. 

“Why are the Democrats so interested in winning the secretary of state’s race? Why didn’t they nominate someone better to take on governor or senator or try to get this kid to run for Congress? I’ll tell you why.”

Banks suggested the Democrats care about the Indiana secretary of state race because it’s the office that is the “tip of the spear in Indiana to keep our elections safe and secure. To keep illegals from voting in our elections. To make sure that we make it as impossible as we can to stop those who aren’t who they say they are that show up to the ballots to vote.”

He called Beau the Democrats’ “Trojan Horse” to come to Indiana to run for secretary of state so the Democrats can get a foothold in the state.

Engling is the Republican Party’s best foot forward to take on Beau, Banks said.

Banks also wrapped up his approximately 20-minute address by saying Trump is right that the SAVE America Act needs to be passed. This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, and requires photo identification to vote, in federal elections, according to a brief synopsis on congress.gov.

“I stand with President Trump. We’ve got to do whatever we need to do to pass the SAVE America Act to secure our elections because we know what the Democrats do when they get in charge - they lie, steal and cheat and they do it in elections,” he said.

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Engling won the nomination on the state GOP convention’s second ballot, finishing ahead of Knox County Clerk David Shelton as incumbent Secretary of State Diego Morales came in a distant third.

Engling received 867 votes to secure the nomination with 53% support. Shelton followed with 627 votes and Morales 134. Conservative activist Jamie Reitenour was eliminated in the first round of voting.

His victory puts him on the November election ballot against Democrat Beau Bayh, Libertarian Lauri Shillings and a likely independent bid by former Republican Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.

Engling said despite the convention contest he was ready  to extend Republican control of the office that oversees statewide voting practices.

“We’re not looking at what the other folks are doing, we’re moving forward as a Republican team,” Engling told reporters. “We’re expecting to move forward and win in the fall.”

Banks staffer to top Republican ticket

The 39-year-old Engling has been central Indiana regional director and adviser to U.S. Jim Banks since early last year.

Engling jumped into the race last month as Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita withdrew their endorsements of Morales. The political split came with Rokita saying worried Morales could lose the fall election after “many self-inflicted wounds.”

Engling touted himself to delegates as the candidate best positioned to continue the GOP’s decade-long hold on all statewide offices.

“We can go into November united as a team, confident and with a candidate that has a vision for the office, a statewide network and support to raise the money … so we can win in November,” Engling said.

Bayh — a son of former governor and U.S. senator Evan Bayh — won the Democratic nomination earlier this month and has already raised more than $2.5 million for his campaign. Democrats hope he can break a streak that has seen Republicans go 23-0 in statewide elections since 2014.

In his speech to delegates Saturday, Engling knocked Bayh as “a prep school kid with a familiar name.”

Engling sought to tie Bayh and Indiana Democrats to contentious national issues.

“If they win, we will be handing over our voter rolls to the party that gave us open borders and illegal immigrant voters,” Engling said.

Bayh said in a statement after Engling’s convention win that “Hoosiers are ready for a change in the secretary of state’s office.”

“They are tired of the corruption, insider dealing, and waste of taxpayer money that Max Engling and the political insiders pulling his strings have enabled for years,” Bayh said. “I will continue to work to earn the votes of all Hoosiers and will be the secretary of state for all Hoosiers.”

Banks repeated his endorsement of Engling during a speech to delegates Friday evening. Gov. Mike Braun and U.S. Sen. Todd Young also spoke Friday but didn’t wade into the secretary of state contest.

The move by Banks to push forward one of his staffers as an alternative to Morales came just weeks after six Republican state senators who voted against the Trump-demanded congressional redistricting lost to primary challengers.

Political organizations controlled by Banks largely bankrolled the multimillion-dollar advertising blitz against those senators — helping carry out Trump’s goal of political revenge over the redistricting defeat.

Morales’ loss followed numerous controversies about office spending and travel since he won office in 2022. He sought to hold onto connections he built with GOP activists by relentless attendance at local party events and dinners over several years.

He scored an upset convention win in 2022 when he defeated incumbent Holli Sullivan for the nomination, but he received tepid applause from the delegates as he spoke before voting began.

He tried to rally support by telling them “the establishment never wants you to have a choice.”

“Now comes the biggest heist of all, top Republicans who publicly embraced me, who publicly endorsed me, suddenly stabbed me in the back and tried to take over this convention,” Morales said.

But Morales was third in the first round of voting by delegates, which saw Engling get 715 votes, Shelton 543, Morales 283 and Reitenour 135. Reitenour was eliminated and delegates moved on to a second round of balloting since Engling was short of the majority vote needed to secure the nomination.

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WARSAW — Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales on Thursday lost the support of key Indiana Republican allies as U.S. Senator Jim Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita declared they no longer believe he is the party's strongest nominee for November. 

But Morales, showing no signs of backing down, says state convention delegates and not party insiders should decide the Republican nominee.

Banks, who endorsed Morales for reelection in March and previously called him a tireless advocate for Hoosier values, on Thursday endorsed Max Engling, an advisor in his Senate office. 

Banks said the change of heart comes after Morales lied to him about hiring a noncitizen as his chief of staff who was illegally registered to vote, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Kosciusko County Republican Chair Mike Ragan quickly reposted the joint statement from Banks and Rokita on Facebook. 

“I was concerned about it, and I was hoping that something like this would happen, so I was very pleased when I read about it and heard about it,” Ragan said in an interview with News Now Warsaw Thirsday afternoon.

Ragan describes Engling as popular and sharp and "operates above board in everything he

He said he thinks Englin will be a strong candidate when GOP delegates meet on June 20 in Fort Wayne for the party's nominating convention.

Thursday marked the filing deadline for GOP candidates. Party officials confirmed that Morales and Max Engling — a senior adviser and regional director in Banks’ Senate office — as well as Knox County Clerk David Shelton and conservative activist Jamie Reitenour were eligible, Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.

Area resident Brian Smith, who chairs the Democratic Party's Second Congressional District, said the decision by GOP leaders comes "four years too late," considering the number of controversies Morales has faced. 

Morales has been dogged by several controversies, ranging from the use of expensive vehicles to allegations of employing family members, as well as his penchant for international travel.

"The level of corruption and just straight-up hypocrisy is mind-boggling,” Smith said.

He said Republicans came to realize Morales would struggle if he faced Democrat Beau Bayh in the general election.

Bayh is promising to clean up the office and investigate some of Morales' activities while in office.

“The very first thing he will do is … a true independent audit of the agency so we can just understand the level of corruption that Diego Morales conducted for the past four years,” Smith said.

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By Tom Davies
Indiana Capital Chronicle

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