When Indiana became the epicenter of a battle to control Congress by redistricting mid-decade, political interest groups jacked up their spending to influence how state lawmakers might vote.
But the biggest spenders on the issue were not voting rights or election-related organizations. Instead, the push came from a national conservative economic policy group and a Hoosier environmental advocacy organization, which both spent their dollars to rally Hoosiers to their respective sides of the issue.
The organizations are just two of the nearly 1,000 companies, interest groups and local entities that coughed up $18.7 million in an attempt to wield influence with Indiana lawmakers during the period of time covering the 2026 legislative session.
While lobbying is often criticized for giving powerful interest groups a window into shaping policy, it can also serve as a way for lawmakers to connect with subject matter experts. In either case, what groups spend on lobbying can shed light on the most important legislative issues – including who’s most likely to gain or lose.
Here are some takeaways from lobbying reports filed this summer, which covered the period spanning November 2025-April 2026.
Redistricting sucked up most of the oxygen
While the nation watched with bated breath as Indiana lawmakers considered mid-decade redistricting in December, interest groups were looking to tip the scales in their favor with big lobbying efforts.
Lobbying records show that the national conservative group Club for Growth and the environmental advocacy organization Indiana Conservation Voters spent on opposite sides of the redistricting wars.
Led by campaign consultant Megan Robertson, Indiana Conservation Voters veered outside of the group’s typical environmental advocacy to spend nearly $180,000, an unprecedented amount for the group, which spent $21,000 in the lobbying period covering the 2025 legislative session.
“When it became clear that outside interests were determined to unfairly redraw Indiana’s congressional maps in the middle of the decade, Indiana Conservation Voters jumped in with both feet, working alongside other groups to ensure lawmakers heard how much Hoosiers were opposed to changing the maps,” Robertson said in a statement to IndyStar. “Amplifying those voices statewide and at the Statehouse required additional resources, which are reflected in our report. We are proud of the work that was done to make sure Indiana stood strong and resisted Washington outsiders’ meddling in our democracy.”
The jump was less pronounced for Club for Growth, which almost doubled its lobbying spending to $240,000 this most recent lobbying period. The organization declined to comment but wrote in a report submitted to the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission that it engaged in “grassroots lobbying regarding redistricting of congressional maps.”
Neither group spent much, if any, money on gifts, entertainment or lobbyist compensation, instead reporting the bulk of their spend in an “other” category that can include advertisements or facilitating constituent phone calls. In a news release in November 2025, Club for Growth announced it aired ads promoting redistricting and conducted phone campaigns.
The city of Indianapolis jumps headfirst into lobbying
The City of Indianapolis dramatically increased its lobbying spend as it faced a targeted barrage of legislation.
Despite the short session, legislators passed laws to neuter the city’s civilian-led police oversight board and empower Gov. Mike Braun to select more judges for Indianapolis-based organizations. They gave the Indiana National Guard policing powers, sparking fears that the state intended to mirror President Donald Trump’s national guard crackdown in other cities, and banned homeless encampments less than a year after the launch of Streets to Home Indy.
The city ultimately spent 12 times more on lobbying the legislature in the most recent lobbying period than it did in the same period covering the 2021 legislative session, according to state lobbying records.
Emily Kaufmann, spokesperson for the Indianapolis mayor’s office, said homelessness, roads, education and billboard zoning were the city’s high-priority issues.
One education bill, House Enrolled Act 1423, gave the mayor the sole appointing authority to a new entity overseeing traditional public schools and charter schools in Indianapolis’ urban core.
Another bill that would have overridden Indianapolis’ billboard zoning ordinance was yanked by the Republican roads committee chair after impassioned protests from Indianapolis lawmakers. The city’s long-running road funding issues also continued to be a focus during the 2026 legislative session, when lawmakers passed a bill to require Indianapolis spend a minimum amount to qualify for state matching funds.
Indianapolis was not the only city or town that felt the need to have more representation at the Statehouse.
Another top spender was Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, which advocates for local government across the state and increased its spending this most recent lobbying period.
The jump comes as municipalities brace for the impact of Braun’s 2025 property tax overhaul, which is expected to crunch local budgets.
“These are not ordinary times for Indiana’s cities and towns,” AIM CEO Matt Greller said in an email. “The volume of legislation affecting local government remains historically high, and the impact of those bills on essential local services has never been greater.”
Greller said in the email that the organization’s advocacy helps give smaller communities who can’t afford a presence at the Statehouse a voice.
Health care remains the elephant in the room
Two health care organizations graced the top 10 in total lobbying spending during the most recent lobbying period: IU Health and the Indiana Hospital Association.
IU Health topped the list with a $288,000 spend, though it fell short of its spending during the same period the previous year. The Indiana Hospital Association also spent less than it had during the 2025 legislative session but still took the number five spot. IU Health could not be reached for comment.
While the 2026 legislative session didn’t have a five-alarm fire bill for hospitals like the price control measures for nonprofit hospitals from 2025, it did have a bill doubling down on federal Medicaid changes. For example, Senate Enrolled Act 1 made presumptive eligibility, when a hospital assumes someone is on Medicaid and bills the program for those services, a stricter process.
The Indiana Hospital Association also advocated for extending harsher penalties for battery of a health care worker outside of the emergency room, Mirror Indy reported. The hospital association did not provide a comment.
Energy lobby kept a stake in the top 10
In 2025, an IndyStar analysis showed that utilities and energy interest groups spent the most wining and dining the lawmakers who helped pave the way for small modular nuclear reactors, a budding form of nuclear energy production that proponents see as the answer to increased energy demands.
The energy lobby continued to spend big during the 2026 legislative session. Duke Energy and the Indiana Energy Association, which advocates on behalf of utilities, were both among the top 10 biggest total spenders. Utilities also spent a lot on gifts and entertainment for individual lawmakers; for example, Indiana Michigan Power and the Indiana Energy Association each spent more than $8,000, representing the second and third largest spend, respectively.
A spokesperson for Indiana Michigan Power told IndyStar that the utility lobbies for reliable energy at the lowest cost possible for its customers.
“The ability to advocate effectively means we have relationships with lawmakers who are responsible for making decisions but might have questions or need additional information, and sometimes those interactions happen over meals,” spokesperson Stephanny L. Smith said in a statement. “We transparently report those expenses, and lobbying costs are excluded from customer rates.”
Duke Energy and the Indiana Energy Association did not return requests for comment.
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Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Which groups wield the most influence at the Statehouse? Lobbying reports offer a clue
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
