Max Engling

Ballard says the commission has four campaign finance complaints before it.

Two involve a $60,000 donation to Republican Max Engling.

The other two involve Democrat Bo Bye.

They claim materials promoting his presence at various party functions going back to last year amount to unreported in-kind donations.

Moreover, it is somewhat ironic that the only candidate that has been fined this election, as well as the only candidate who currently has a political party violating the disclaimer law on their own website, is trying to grandstand on campaign compliance law." Ballard's campaign says there's no state or federal requirement to include a disclaimer, but they will add one.

Bye's campaign says the commission should meet.

A spokesperson says, "Max Engling accepted an illegal campaign contribution from a dark money group.

His response was to file frivolous complaints in an effort to make a mockery of the system.

In a letter to the four-member election commission, Ballard urges the group to, quote, "Do its job and get to work on behalf of Hoosiers." The commission is not required to meet, but Ballard points to a series of financial complaints that he says must be addressed.

Two of the contributions in question are to Democrat Bo Bye and two to Republican Max Engling's campaign.

Ballard is calling for a bipartisan commission and says its current makeup, split between two parties, does not function for Indiana voters.

A spokesperson for Bye's campaign responded saying they agree the commission should meet.

I'm, I don't know if it's the first camp or the second, or it could be a little of both.

I mean, this has been, um, the Indiana's most interesting race, you know, headed into the November election.

This is, this is the big race, and we have seen very close polling, uh, between the Democrat and the Republican candidates, Max Engling and Bo Bye.

Um, Ballard has pushed out a number of, um, interesting c- Um, issues that, that do center around the secretary of state office.

Ballard says the commission has four campaign finance complaints before it.

Two involve a $60,000 donation to Republican Max Engling.

The other two involve Democrat Bo Bye.

They claim materials promoting his presence at various party functions going back to last year amount to unreported in-kind donations.

Moreover, it is somewhat ironic that the only candidate that has been fined this election, as well as the only candidate who currently has a political party violating the disclaimer law on their own website, is trying to grandstand on campaign compliance law." Ballard's campaign says there's no state or federal requirement to include a disclaimer, but they will add one.

Bye's campaign says the commission should meet.

A spokesperson says, "Max Engling accepted an illegal campaign contribution from a dark money group.

His response was to file frivolous complaints in an effort to make a mockery of the system.

And, and you know what? Every other Republican that's on that ballot that is within Porter County should be ashamed that that's the top of their ticket.

Well, I'm sorry, um, Max Engling's the top of their ticket.

Well-

The top of their county ticket

Lincoln Party Secretary of State candidate Greg Ballard filed suit Thursday to force the Indiana Election Commission to rule on four pending campaign finance complaints against his opponents before the November third election.

Two complaints are against Republican Max Engling, and two are against Democrat Bo Bye.

"The commission has consistently met in September, but not this year," Ballard said in an accompanying letter to Commission Chair Beth Boyce.

Early voting began October sixth.

The fact that Diego Morales hired an immigrant legally in the US but not a citizen in his office was the last straw according to top Republican officials, including US Senator Jim Banks, AG Ro- Rokita, and Treasurer Daniel Elliot.

Banks immediately found a candidate he preferred instead, convincing Max Engling, who worked for Banks, to enter the race.

A cascade of support then magically appeared overnight for Engling, a second-time candidate and relative unknown who lived and worked in DC for more than a decade before moving back to Indiana in 2023.

I guess something had to be the last straw, though it's hard to see how GOP leaders ignored all the other warning signs with Morales.

Um, it, it just doesn't look good.

It doesn't look good at all, and people are not pleased about that.

Uh, and then you've got this Max Engling guy who poofed up out of nowhere, uh, lived in DC for a decade, was a staffer for basically the Senate, uh, all the, all the people in the Senate, and he was staffer for, uh, former Speaker of the House McCarthy.

It- all kinds of stuff.