Diego Morales (politician)
Diego Morales | |
---|---|
Secretary of State of Indiana | |
Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
Governor | Eric Holcomb |
Preceded by | Holli Sullivan |
Personal details | |
Born | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | February 15, 1979
Education | Indiana University, Southeast (BA) Purdue University (MBA) |
Diego Morales (born February 15, 1979) is a
.Early life and career
Morales is from Guatemala, and immigrated to the United States with his parents and sisters when he was in high school.
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
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
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]
Personal life
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.[19][20]
References
- ^ 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.
- 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.
- ^ Briggs, James (November 3, 2022). "Briggs: Republican running on 'election integrity' might have voted illegally". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ 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.