Between now and the Indiana state Democratic Party convention, Hoosier Lemon will be making the case that Beau Bayh is NOT the right person to represent the party as nominee for Secretary of State in 2026, nor should be the person to lead Indiana Democrats into the future. A pretty face and a fat bank account are no substitute for leadership — and Beau’s deep connections to the corporations, billionaires, and special interests that play both sides of the aisle should make the delegates who vote on this nomination think long and hard before casting their votes.
Last week’s piece on Bayh’ relationship with the private equity industry can be found here.
Who does a candidate really work for when they take fistfuls of cash from billionaires?
I’m a working-class Hoosier, so that question matters to me. My loyalty is to my family, my neighbors, and the people struggling alongside me. Not party bosses. Not billionaire donors. So when I see money flowing into a race from a foreign lobby, I pay attention.
All money is not good money. We do not need billionaire backers to fight the other side’s billionaire backers. We would do well to remember that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.
Now, I know what some political insider is thinking: The Indiana Secretary of State doesn’t set foreign policy. Why are you talking about a foreign lobby?
True, the Secretary of State doesn’t have much to do with foreign policy.
They do, however, decide on which businesses operate in Indiana, which investment firms face scrutiny, and who manages our public money. Foreign interests don’t just pour money into down-ballot races because they care about Hoosiers. They do it because they want a friend in the room when their business interests cross the statehouse threshold.
So let’s talk about the foreign lobby in the room.
The Israel Lobby
I am going to use the term “lobby” the way political scientist John Mearsheimer does: as shorthand for the loose coalition of individuals and organizations who actively work to steer U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction.
This is not a conspiracy theory.
It is a network of well-funded political action committees.
Key organizations in this lobby include the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), JStreetPAC, U.S. Israel PAC, the Friends of Israel PAC, United Democracy Project, among others. Then there are the multitude of insidious shell PACs cropping up in races across the country. Shell PACs like the United Democracy Project, Affordable Chicago Now!, Chicago Progressive Partnership, and Elect Democratic Women Action Fund.
And when you look at Beau Bayh’s donor list, you begin to see the Israel Lobby propping up his campaign. The contributions are not direct; they flow through a web of billionaires, bundlers, and dark money groups, all converging on a single candidate.
This isn’t just about foreign policy. It’s about what is happening right here in Indiana. Because the Israel Lobby doesn’t just focus on the White House or Congress—they work to ensure all 50 states are building favorable relationships with Israel. And Indiana is a prime example.
Let’s start with the most direct financial link: Indiana currently invests $110 million in Israeli bonds. When a state buys an Israeli bond, it essentially loans the Israeli government money with an agreement that they will get those funds back in an agreed-upon number of years, plus interest. For my non-econ bros, that means taxpayer dollars are effectively being loaned to the Israeli government. And while the bond portfolio falls under state Treasurer Daniel Elliott, it shows how much financial value statewide officials can direct toward a foreign ally.
Then came Governor Mike Braun, who eagerly invested $15 million in Hoosier taxpayer dollars to integrate Israeli start-ups with Indiana universities and healthcare systems, through a platform called Iron Nation which was launched right after the October 7th attacks.
Now follow the money to a darker outcome. Indiana’s Applied Research Institute (ARI), funded by state taxpayers, used its “Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace” to fast-track Palantir’s AI-powered Maven Smart System. That directly enabled a $99 million military contract for software later used to strike an Iranian girls’ school. Purdue’s president and Indiana University’s president sit on ARI’s board—meaning our public universities helped rubber-stamp automated targeting that reduces civilian death to “a click away.”
But the most stunning example isn’t just financial or military. It’s intelligence. The largest solar project in the U.S., the Mammoth Solar project in Pulaski and Starke Counties, is being built by Doral Renewables, a subsidiary of an Israeli company. And recently, Yossi Cohen—the former head of the Israeli Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel—was appointed as a director at Doral Renewables LLC.
So to be clear: the former head of a foreign intelligence agency is now a director of a company building the largest solar project in the United States. Right here in Indiana.
The Israel Lobby doesn’t stop at the presidential level. They target statewide offices because they need state officials who will look the other way, facilitate the deals, and ensure bond purchases continue without scrutiny. If we want to know who our candidates are truly working for, we have to follow the money…from bonds, to universities, and from solar fields, to spy agencies.
That’s the Lobby’s statewide footprint.
So now that we have a working understanding of what the Israel Lobby is and why it targets state races, let’s turn to Beau Bayh’s donor list. Because the Lobby, remember, is also people. It’s billionaire families with deep Indiana roots who write the checks.
The Simon Family’s Deep Pockets
First up, the Simon family.
We covered the family’s influence in Indianapolis in a previous report that you can read here.
Herbert Simon, founder of the Simon Property Group in 1960, is a longtime donor to the Israel Lobby. Since 2022, Herb Simon has donated $96,700 to AIPAC. And on December 5, 2025 he donated $25,000 to Beau Bayh’s campaign.
Deborah Simon donated $2,000,000 to the Democratic Majority for Israel on April 7, 2025 and is one of the top 15 donors to the Israel Lobby. According to filings, while DMFI’s previous reports showed modest hauls, this single contribution dramatically altered the group’s financial standing. Deborah Simon also donated $75,000 directly to Beau Bayh on November 21, 2025.
Then there's Deborah's sister, Cynthia Simon-Skjodt.
Cynthia was appointed by then-President Joe Biden to the council board for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the nation’s official memorial to the Holocaust. The museum's Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide says it "works to do for the victims of genocide today what the world failed to do for the Jews of Europe in the 1930s and 1940s."
That’s a noble mission.
Here's the problem: the museum lists 23 country case studies where its Center for the Prevention of Genocide has worked. Palestine and Lebanon are nowhere on that list.
The museum teaches "that the Holocaust was preventable and that by heeding warning signs and taking early action, individuals and governments can save lives." Meanwhile, multiple genocide scholars and human rights organizations have clearly documented the evidence of Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The museum's response? Silence.
The Simon family's checkbook, meanwhile, is loud and clear.
The D.C. Insider
Then there is Norm Brownstein, a quintessential Washington power broker. Brownstein donated $10,000 to Beau Bayh on November 26, 2025—just twelve days after donating $14,000 to AIPAC. In 2025 alone, Norm Brownstein donated $45,900 to AIPAC.
Because of his influence, former senators Ted Kennedy and Hank Brown have reportedly dubbed Brownstein “America’s 101st senator.” His influence extends deep into policy. He was a key player in getting President Donald Trump to enforce the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in universities under Title VI. He has also served as vice president of AIPAC and has worked hard on Capitol Hill to ensure “America’s relationship with Israel ironclad.”
Wall Street Weighs In
The financial sector is also heavily represented. Eric Mindich, a $10,000 donor to Bayh, donated $350,000 to the Democratic Majority for Israel in 2024. Mindich is a founding partner of the hedge fund Eton Park Capital Management and his philanthropic giving has consistently aligned with major pro-Israel organizations and AIPAC’s political spending priorities.
Then there’s the Apollo problem.
On January 5, 2026, Marc Rowan donated $25,000 to Beau Bayh. Rowan is a billionaire and a top AIPAC mega-donor who gave $1 million to the Trump Victory super PAC in 2020 and was once in the running to be Trump’s Treasury Secretary. Marc Rowan is also the CEO of Apollo Global Management, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, and sits on Trump’s Board of Peace—officially the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza’s executive board.
That board also includes the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner; real estate developer turned United States special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff; and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair—yes, that Tony Blair, the one with the Iraq War baggage.
That's the crew tasked with "stabilizing" Gaza.
According to the White House, “[e]ach executive board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization.” The White House added that “the board will help support effective governance and the delivery of best-in-class services that advance peace, stability, and prosperity for the people of Gaza.”
That's the theory, anyway.
As we covered last week, that matters for Indiana because Apollo Global is the private equity manager for a considerable portion of Indiana's public pension funds. And the Secretary of State's office oversees securities regulation and thus has direct authority over the kinds of investment firms that manage Hoosiers' retirement money.
So when the CEO of a firm holding Indiana pensions cuts a $25,000 check to a candidate for the office that regulates his industry, that's not just a donation. That's an investment with an expected return.
The Kentucky Connection
Even out-of-state political machines are getting involved.
The “In This Together PAC“ donated $10,000 to Beau Bayh on February 27, 2026. This PAC was formed by D-KY Governor Andy Beshear who has also publicly maintained a pro-Israel stance. The top donor to the PAC is Andrew Schwartzberg, a known Israel Lobby donor.
The Bottom Line
This is not a random collection of donors. It is what happens when a loose coalition of Zionists—all focused on steering U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction—converges on a single Indiana race.
And until we get money out of politics, we will continue to have auctions rather than elections.
So here is what we should tell our politicians and prospective candidates…
Not another dollar from the Israel Lobby.
Not another tax dollar spent on human rights abuses.
Not another candidate who puts the interests of a foreign country over Americans.
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