By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“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.” — Secretary of State Diego Morales
Whew! Incumbent Secretary of State Diego Morales lost his reelection bid as newcomer Max Engling took the nomination on the second ballot. Tom Davies was in Fort Wayne and has all the vibes.
Also this week, utility regulators OK’d a big rate increase — and Gov. Mike Braun is hopping mad.
Indiana nabs a federal education waiver, another execution is in the works and the governor appoints a new commerce secretary.
Plus, don’t miss an interesting story about Attorney General Todd Rokita’s jet ski.
Secretary of State candidate Max Engling speaks during the Indiana Republican Party convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Saturday, June 20, 2026. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Engling captures Republican bid for Indiana secretary of statedline
By Tom Davies
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Indiana Republicans picked Max Engling on Saturday as their secretary of state candidate, capping a 31-day ascent from little-known political staffer to nominee for statewide office.
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.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved a rate hike on June 17, 2026, for AES Indiana customers. (Getty Images)
State regulators approve $70M increase for AES, less than utility originally sought
By Niki Kelly and Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 Wednesday to approve a $71 million electricity rate increase for AES Indiana customers.
That is about 37% of what the utility initially requested and lower than a settlement agreement proposed in October.
Neither Gov. Mike Braun nor consumer advocates are happy with the outcome.
COMMENTARY
Brett Scrogham died after he was shot in a parking garage near the Indiana Convention Center on May 28, 2026. (Screenshot courtesy of WTHR)
How Indy newsrooms covered a random and fatal shooting downtown
By Tracey Compton
A recent story about a shooting in Indianapolis so disturbed Craig Ladwig, editor of Indiana Policy Review, that he felt compelled to ask me to look into how local news media are covering it. Over the course of his life, Ladwig told me he’s had five friends who were murdered or traumatically injured while going about normal everyday activities. So even though he didn’t know the victim, the news felt personal to him.
“My reaction was that each case should have been the top story on Page 1 until it was solved,” Ladwig said.
NATIONAL NEWS
Under a law enacted last year, five of Indiana’s largest nonprofit hospital systems cannot charge patients covered by job-based health plans more than an established price cap. (Photo by Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana takes on powerful hospitals by capping prices they charge employers
By Phil Galewitz and Samantha Liss
Tired of watching its employers struggle to afford the cost of healthcare, Republican-controlled Indiana is trying a traditionally liberal tactic to control costs: setting government price controls on hospitals.
Under a law enacted last year, five of Indiana’s largest nonprofit hospital systems cannot charge patients covered by job-based health plans more than an established price cap. Hospitals that fail to keep prices below the threshold by 2029 risk losing their tax-exempt status — which would mean owing millions of dollars in state taxes.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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