INDIANAPOLIS, IND. (WOWO) Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said Thursday that he withdrew his support for Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales following what he described as “self-inflicted wounds” surrounding Morales’ re-election effort, during an interview on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee broadcast from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of the Indianapolis 500.

Appearing live trackside during the station’s first-ever broadcast from IMS, Rokita discussed the Republican race for secretary of state, the state’s human trafficking awareness campaign during major sporting events, and Indiana’s observance of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

“The ice got too thin, a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” Rokita said when asked why he had removed his endorsement of Morales and expressed support for Republican challenger Max Engling.

Rokita compared the situation to his own 2020 campaign for attorney general, saying concerns over controversy surrounding the office motivated him to run.

“I was starting to worry about giving this very important office over to a very liberal Democrat from Evansville,” Rokita said. “I jumped in and was humbly honored to receive the highest number of votes in Indiana history that fall because the delegates put trust in me.”

Rokita said he had privately encouraged Morales to address the issues surrounding his administration and campaign.

“I like Diego, I’ve known him for years. He is a friend,” Rokita said. “I tried my best to coach him through and out of this stuff, but if you’re not going to help solve these problems and they become patterns, you lose the trust of the voters.”

The attorney general said both he and U.S. Sen. Jim Banks had initially endorsed Morales before withdrawing their support this week.

“I think the theme between the Banks story and the Rokita story is that we both endorsed Diego,” Rokita said. “We both removed our endorsements yesterday. That’s the story.”

Blakeslee noted that Banks issued what she described as a “full throttle endorsement” of Engling, while Rokita’s support appeared more measured. Rokita said his approach reflected respect for Republican convention delegates and his familiarity with convention politics.

“I have a lot of respect for these delegates,” Rokita said. “First that they knew where I stood on Diego. Second that they give all the candidates, especially this new one, some time to be heard because I also know what it’s like coming in 30 days before a race.”

When asked whether he coordinated with Banks behind the scenes before the endorsements were announced, Rokita responded, “Yes,” adding that the two divided responsibilities in their public messaging.

“If you look at that statement, he’s heavy on Max, I’m heavy on Diego,” Rokita said.

During the interview, Rokita also discussed a new logo initiative tied to America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, which he said had been adopted by the attorney general’s office.

“This is the attorney general’s nod to the 250-year anniversary of our founding,” Rokita said. “Everything we do in the attorney general’s office is about the rule of law.”

Rokita described the logo as a variation of the office’s standard insignia designed to commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial.

“We took our usual logo and made it a nod to the 250th anniversary of our country because this is American exceptionalism,” he said.

The attorney general credited staff member Julia Mathias with creating the design and said the office plans to continue using the branding over the next several years.

The conversation later turned to the office’s human trafficking awareness efforts surrounding the Indianapolis 500 and other large-scale events. Rokita said his office is encouraging attendees to watch for indicators of trafficking activity and report concerns to law enforcement.

“This week’s one of the biggest events in the world right here in Indiana,” Rokita said. “This is a trafficking magnet, just like all big events are.”

Rokita encouraged attendees to watch for signs including individuals appearing fearful, lacking identification documents, showing signs of physical abuse, or being controlled by another person.

“If you notice a young person, young girls but also young boys, who appear submissive, have someone else talking for them, carrying their IDs, or it just looks funny, say something,” Rokita said. “Law enforcement is pretty trained now how to handle the situation.”

Rokita, who said his wife grew up in Speedway near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, also discussed the evolution of race weekend events and credited IMS owner Roger Penske with improving the facility and broadening its family appeal.

“Roger Penske has gotten involved and he’s an amazing individual,” Rokita said. “He has cleaned this place up. Bring the kids, bring the grandkids.”

The interview concluded with a rapid-fire segment focused on Indiana culture and Indianapolis 500 traditions. Rokita selected “champagne” over milk, “tenderloin” over pork burger, and “cornhole” over golf. Asked to describe Indiana in one word, Rokita responded: “Beautiful.”