Better Indiana is a political action committee (PAC) that supports Democratic Party candidates in Indiana. ¹ From its founding in 2017 through the end of 2024, Better Indiana made $628,545.21 in election expenditures reportable to the state of Indiana. ²

Its largest individual donor is Democratic donor and philanthropist Deborah J. Simon, the daughter of billionaire shopping mall magnate Melvin Simon. ³ Simon has donated $52,500 to Better Indiana since 2017. ⁴ The group has also received contributions from the Indiana Political Action Committee for Education, which is controlled by the Indiana State Teachers Association. ³

Activities

2024 Elections

Better Indiana spent $215,841 during the 2024 election cycle. ⁵

In 2024, Better Indiana’s top legislative candidate recipients were unsuccessful Indiana House of Representatives candidates Tiffany Stoner (D) and Matt McNally (D). ⁵

That year, Better Indiana contributed $16,600 to support unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor, former schoolteacher, and state superintendent of public instruction Jennifer McCormick (D). ⁵

2023 Carmel Municipal Elections

In 2023, Better Indiana contributed $11,000 to the unsuccessful campaign of Miles Nelson, the Democratic candidate for mayor of Carmel. ⁶ The mayoral race in the fast-growing Indianapolis suburb that had voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race received national attention as “a bellwether for Democrats’ suburban competitiveness.” ⁷

The Indiana Democratic Party and supporting organizations such as Better Indiana invested heavily in Carmel’s mayoral election and nine city council races but fell short of their targets as only one Democrat was elected to City Council. ⁸

One of the unsuccessful Democratic council candidates was Jake Madore, a Democratic Party activist who also unsuccessfully ran for Hamilton County Treasurer in 2020 and is the treasurer of Better Indiana. ^{9 1 10}

2022 Elections

Better Indiana spent $215,021 on the 2022 election cycle. ³ Its largest expenditure that cycle was $41,700 to the re-election campaign of State Senator J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis), who won by 1,470 votes out of 43,870 cast. ^{11 3} Ford’s 2018 and 2022 campaigns received a combined $56,200 in contributions from Better Indiana, making him the PAC’s top all-time recipient as of the end of 2024. ³

2020 Elections

Better Indiana spent $140,176 during the 2020 election cycle. ¹²

It received $50,000 in contributions that cycle from Democratic donor and philanthropist Deborah J. Simon, the daughter of billionaire shopping mall magnate Melvin Simon. ¹²

Better Indiana’s largest contribution in 2020 was $19,500 to the campaign of Ashley Klein (D), a candidate for the Indiana House of Representatives. It also contributed $17,000 each to the campaigns of Aimee Cole (D) and Pam Dechert (D), $16,000 to the campaign of Naomi Bechtold (D), and $14,500 to the campaign of Kyle Miller (D).  ¹² All five candidates were defeated by their Republican opponents in the general election. ¹³

Funding

Better Indiana’s largest known individual donor is Democratic donor and philanthropist Deborah J. Simon, the daughter of billionaire shopping mall magnate Melvin Simon. ³ Simon has donated $52,500 to Better Indiana since 2017. ⁴

In the 2022 cycle, Better Indiana’s largest contribution (other than contributions passed through Democratic fundraising vehicle ActBlue) was $20,450 from the Indiana Political Action Committee for Education, which is controlled by the Indiana State Teachers Association. Better Indiana also reported making $17,126 in expenditures to Indiana Political action Committee for Education. ³

1. “About Us.” Better Indiana. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.betterindianapac.com/about.
2. “Indiana Campaign Finance – Committee Financial Summary.” Indiana Secretary of State. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/CommitteeFinancialSummary.aspx?OrgId=7008.
3. “Better Indiana – Indiana Committee.” Transparency USA. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.transparencyusa.org/in/committee/better-indiana-7008-political-action?cycle=2022-election-cycle.
4. “Deborah J Simon – Indiana Contributor.” Transparency USA. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.transparencyusa.org/in/contributor/deborah-j-simon?cycle=2017-to-now.
5. “Better Indiana – Indiana Committee.” Transparency USA. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.transparencyusa.org/in/committee/better-indiana-7008-political-action.
6. “Q&A: Who Is Miles Nelson? Meet the Democrat Running for Mayor of Carmel.” Indianapolis Star, June 7, 2023. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/carmel/2023/06/07/miles-nelson-carmel-mayor-democratic-candidate-profile-november-2023/70260475007/.
7. Briggs, James. “Carmel Mayor’s Race: Sue Finkam, Miles Nelson Get Combative in Debate – Axios Indianapolis.” Axios, October 3, 2023. https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2023/10/03/carmel-mayors-race-sue-finkam-miles-nelson.
8. Briggs, James. “Carmel Election: Sue Finkam Defeats Miles Nelson – Axios Indianapolis.” Axios, November 8, 2023. https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2023/11/08/carmel-election-results-sue-finkam-miles-nelson.
9. ^[1] Fradette, Rachel. “General Election 2023: Republicans Nearly Sweep Carmel City Council Races.” The Indianapolis Star, November 8, 2023. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/11/07/general-election-2023-heres-who-is-running-for-carmel-city-council/71441014007/.
10. “Get to Know Jake Madore.” HamCo Dems IN. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.hamcodemsin.org/candidates/jake-madore.
11. “J.D. Ford.” Ballotpedia. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/J.D._Ford.
12. “Better Indiana – Indiana Committee.” Transparency USA. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.transparencyusa.org/in/committee/better-indiana-7008-political-action?cycle=2020-election-cycle.
13. “Indiana House of Representatives Elections, 2020.” Ballotpedia. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2020.