The Smoligarchs: Robert Lauter
Hoo owns Indiana's political candidates
The Smoligarchs is a series on the biggest political donors in Indiana. Every state has influential real estate developers, auto dealership owners, medical industry insiders, large agribusiness farmers, and other wealthy individuals with outsized sway in their communities and at the state level. Many of these folks keep their far-right politics hidden behind philanthropy or operate in the shadows, shunning attention altogether. These are the small-scale oligarchs who own the politicians and REALLY make policy in the Hoosier State.
Why is he on this list?
Aside from the multimillionaire candidate himself…
and his multimillionaire daddy…
and his mommy…
and his parents’ private equity firm…
and his wife…
Lauter is the next-most prolific donor to the gubernatorial campaign of Fort Wayne real estate developer and former IEDC chairman Eric Doden.
What is the source of all that money?
According to a 2022 article announcing his retirement in Spa Retailer, the “definitive trade publication of the hot tub industry,” Bob Lauter was the founder and CEO of Master Spas. Having previously served as vice president of Fort Wayne Pools and LA Spas, Lauter founded the Northeast Indiana-based company in 1996. Master Spas is the largest manufacturer of American-made hot tubs and the world’s largest maker of swim spas. Having retired as CEO, Lauter remains on as Chairman of the Board.
Who else receives his political contributions?
Nobody on Doden’s level. The next greatest recipient of Lauter’s political contributions is the National Republican Congressional Committee, to whom he has given almost $30,000. After that, Lauter has donated to a murderer’s row of far-right extremists, conspiracy theorists, and election deniers, like
Florida Governor and failed presidential candidate Ron DeSantis
Business executive, former presidential candidate, and disinformation firehose Vivek Ramaswamy
Indiana Congressman, Senate candidate, and MAGA chud Jim Banks
Absolutely bat-shit insane Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna
Failed Senate candidate and brain-damaged former footballer Herschel Walker
Venture capitalist, fascist, Peter Thiel puppet Blake Masters
AND MANY MORE
Robert Lauter’s contribution history | Open Secrets
Anything else?
Mrs. Lauter also gets in on the action, having given north of $50,000 to Republicans, including valor thief Tyler Kistner, January 6 participant Kathy Barnette, and MAGA candidate-turned Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
Why Doden?
Their donations suggest the Lauters seem have gone full MAGA. Why not support Trump-endorsed Braun, election denier Curtis Hill, or Christian nationalist Jamie Reitenour over the (slightly🤏) more centrist Doden?
That’s a good question. But I’m sure it has absolutely nothing at all to do with Doden’s time as CEO of Greater Fort Wayne, Inc, where he “partner[ed] with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to determine eligibility for state and local incentives,” that, in the case of Master Spas, totaled “up to $550,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $75,000 in training grants.”
One hand washes the other.
The MAGA supporters and far-right extremists/conspiracy theorists have been doing a lot more than just washing each others’ hands.