Statewide offices in Indiana are usually seen by ambitious candidates and political observers as a way to build a political launchpad. It's supposed to be a great way to generate name ID, experience, and connections statewide that will give candidates an edge in future races for Governor, U.S. House, or U.S. Senate. But is that really the case? Looking at the tables below, it doesn't look like it is. Even in the best-case scenario of Secretary of State, only about 15% of the individuals who got the job were able to turn it into something else.

Secretary of State

Of the 61 Secretaries of State, only ten were ever elected to a higher office. Of those, Evan Bayh is the sole secretary to make it to the U.S. Senate, while Todd Rokita was only the second (and the first since 1849) to head to the U.S. House.

Office Holder	Later Office
William W. Wick	U.S. House
James Morrison	Attorney General
William John Brown	U.S. House
Claude Matthews	Governor
Edward L. Jackson	Governor
Rue J. Alexander	Lieutenant Governor
Crawford F. Parker	Lieutenant Governor
Edgar Doud Whitcomb	Governor
Birch E. (Evan) Bayh, III	Governor
Birch E. (Evan) Bayh, III	U.S. Senate
Todd Rokita	U.S. House
Todd Rokita	Attorney General

Auditor of State

Of the 57 Auditors of State, only three have ever been elected to a higher office. All three ended up in the office of Lt. Governor, two of them when that position was elected separately from the Governor (and, coincidentally, both resigned).

Office Holder	Later Office
Mahlon Dickerson Manson	Lieutenant Governor
Richard Thomas James	Lieutenant Governor
Suzanne Crouch	Lieutenant Governor

Treasurer of State

Of the 54 Treasurers of State, only two have ever been elected to a higher office. Both ended up as State Auditors.

Office Holder	Later Office
Frank T. Mills	State Comptroller (Auditor)
Tim Berry	State Comptroller (Auditor)

Attorney General

Of the 44 Attorneys General, only two have ever made it to a higher office–but none have ever won a general election for higher office. That's because Joseph McDonald went to the U.S. Senate during a time when the state legislature chose Senators; and Samuel D. Jackson was appointed to fill vacancies in both his stints as Attorney General and U.S. Senator. In fact, Jackson actually lost races for U.S. House and Governor the two times he was on the ballot.

Office Holder	Later Office
Joseph McDonald	U.S. Senate
Samuel D. Jackson	U.S. Senate

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Of the 43 Superintendents of Public Instruction, none have ever gone on to another office in Indiana. This probably isn't suprising, however, given the specialized nature of the office.