Indiana Republican running for secretary of state has been fired from that office twice: report

Diego Morales (R), who is running for secretary of state in Indiana, has been previously fired from that office two times.

Documents obtained and first reported by the Associated Press in 2018 state that former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita fired Morales in 2009 for “inefficient execution” and “lack of focus.” Two years later, then-Secretary of State Charlie White fired Morales for similar instances of poor work ethic. White himself was later removed as secretary of state after being convicted of voter fraud.

In addition to a shaky work history, Morales has been recently accused of sexually assaulting two women according to interviews conducted by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, the editor of IndyPolitics.org. Morales denied the allegations in a statement and called them “politically motivated.” According to the interviews, the women were 20 and 22 years old respectively at the time of the assaults.

In response to the disciplinary actions, Morales said that he is facing a “smear campaign” and that he was probably fired due to office politics.

Morales also used to serve as an aide for Mike Pence when the former vice president was the governor of Indiana. Like other Republicans running for secretary of state positions, Morales has leaned heavily into former President Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” rhetoric that contends the 2020 presidential election was stolen from the Republicans. He has also said that he would cut Indiana’s early voting period from 28 days to 14.