A Lansing-based nonprofit with ties to Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall quietly muscled into Indiana’s redistricting fight this winter, running social media ads aimed at Hoosier voters and lawmakers to back new congressional lines. The push arrived as Indiana Republicans debated a mid-decade map that would have reshaped Marion County and several other districts, a plan that ultimately died in the state Senate. The cross-border play is now fueling questions about how Michigan political money is being deployed beyond state lines to influence neighboring states’ battles.
The group, Building a Better Economy, was created in 2019 and reported raising about $1.5 million in 2024 while reporting relatively modest digital ad buys in Indiana and spending on travel, conferences, and meals. Public filings for 2024 also show the nonprofit contributed to the Michigan Republican Party as the state’s nominating calendar draws near, with candidates required to file by Feb. 27 and the party set to hold a convention on March 28. Hall has told reporters he does not run a nonprofit when asked about the group’s activities, per The Detroit News.
Ads Targeted Hoosiers
The organization’s ads urged Indiana constituents to press their Republican lawmakers to support maps that would tilt more districts in the GOP’s favor, part of a larger pro-map blitz that also featured television spots and phone outreach. Indiana Legislative Insight reported that Building a Better Economy was buying social ads in Hoosier media markets while Club for Growth and other national players jumped in at the same time. At least one senator slammed the out-of-state pressure groups for “using extremely negative texts, videos and phone calls” aimed at her district, as per Indiana Insight.
Senate Rebuffed The Plan
The push hit a hard stop in December when the Indiana Senate rejected the mid-decade redistricting package in a 31-19 vote on Dec. 11, 2025, delivering a high-profile setback to the White House's push. Critics argued the map would carve up Marion County and weaken minority voting strength, while supporters framed it as a fix for lopsided representation. Live coverage recorded a tense scene at the Statehouse, with heated floor debate, threats aimed at lawmakers, and protests outside the building as the vote unfolded, as cited by WFYI.
Michigan Money Behind The Push
Public records and reporting show Building a Better Economy received a major contribution from Michigan Energy First in 2024, roughly $750,000, even as its Indiana ad buys remained relatively small and its expenses included conferences and travel. InfluenceWatch’s profile of Michigan Energy First describes it as an energy-sector political vehicle that has previously donated to both Republican and Democratic efforts inside Michigan. Taken together, the filings and reporting depict a network of donors and low-profile nonprofits moving money across state borders.
What This Means For Lansing
The episode highlights how state-level political nonprofits can project their clout into other states’ redistricting wars, while leaving voters with limited visibility into who is bankrolling the campaigns. With Michigan’s primary deadlines and nominating convention on the horizon, this kind of cross-border activity is likely to draw even more scrutiny from lawmakers, party insiders, and transparency advocates on both sides of the state line.
