Beau Bayh Announces Campaign for Indiana Secretary of State, Vows to “Clean Up Corruption”

Written from press release

INDIANAPOLIS — Beau Bayh, a Democrat and former U.S. Marine Corps captain, announced Monday that he is launching a campaign for Indiana Secretary of State, pledging to challenge incumbent Republican Diego

Morales and overhaul what he calls a “broken and corrupt” office.

“Our Secretary of State’s Office is completely broken and corrupt, wasting our tax dollars and making backroom deals,” Bayh said in a statement. “I’m running to clean up the office and protect Hoosiers’ taxpayer dollars.”

Bayh, a seventh-generation Hoosier and son of Indiana’s prominent Bayh political family, said his campaign will focus on restoring accountability and trust in state government. He emphasized priorities including fiscal oversight, fair elections, and support for small businesses that drive Indiana’s economy.

His plan for the office includes:

• Holding government accountable for every tax dollar spent.
• Opposing what he called “excessive taxes” that burden working families.
• Ensuring fair and secure elections.
• Supporting entrepreneurship and job creation across the state.

Bayh’s announcement video, released Monday morning, introduces him as a public servant shaped by military and legal experience. He served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of captain and graduating from the Scout Sniper Unit Leaders Course. His service included deployments to Europe in support of NATO operations responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and to South America training allied forces.

Following his honorable discharge in 2023, Bayh earned a law degree from Harvard Law School and later worked as a judicial law clerk for Judge David F. Hamilton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Bloomington.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been guided by the lessons I learned as a Marine: when facing tough fights, you run toward them, not away from them,” Bayh said. “That’s how I’ll approach the job of Secretary of State.”

The Secretary of State’s office oversees Indiana elections, business registration, and securities regulation. Morales, elected in 2022, has faced ongoing scrutiny and criticism over spending controversies and questions surrounding his office’s management practices.

Bayh, who lives in Indianapolis and works as an attorney, said he hopes to bring “common sense and integrity” back to the position.

For more information about Beau Bayh’s campaign, visit beaubayh.com

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