Indiana is the 17th largest U.S. state ranked by population, with 6.7 million residents.

Indiana’s GDP is the 18th largest. Its GDP per capita is only 32nd.

List of states and territories of the United States by GDP – Wikipedia

Indiana has 11 electoral college votes, tied for 13th most of all states. Indiana did not lose an electoral college vote in the latest census, although 3 neighboring states did. With 538 total votes, the average state has almost 11 votes, so Indiana is average by this measure. From 1872-1926, Indiana had 15 electoral votes. From 1932-40 it had 14. From 1944-88 it had 13. From 1984-2000 it had 12, so the trend is clearly downward.

Indiana Presidential Election Voting History (270towin.com)

Indiana has not been a “swing” state with disproportionate clout in our lifetime.

Party affiliation by state – Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics | Pew Research Center (pewforum.org)

Indiana can claim its fair share of U.S. presidents. 1 out of 46, with the 23rd president, Benjamin Harrison (1889-93). Indiana can partly claim Harrison’s grandfather William Henry Harrison who briefly served as the 9th president and who served as governor of the Indiana Territory from 1801-12, although he was not born there. Indiana also claims to be Lincoln’s boyhood home (1816-30).

Indiana also has its fair share of losing presidential candidates with Wendell Wilkie (1940) and Socialist Party stalwart Eugene Debs (1900-20).

Indiana Presidents: Learn About the 3 Hoosiers Who Became President (visitindiana.com)

Indiana truly stands out at the VP level, with 4 serving in this office: Charles Fairbanks (1905-9), Thomas Marshall (1913-21), Dan Quayle (1989-93) and Mike Pence (2017-21). It has provided 12 VP candidates.

Witnessing History: Hoosiers for President (indianahistory.org)

At the Supreme Court, Indiana claims more than its fair share of the 120 justices with 4: Willis Van Devanter (1911), Sherman Minter (1949), current Chief Justice John Roberts (2005) and recently appointed Amy Coney Barrett (2021).

A quick look at U.S. Supreme Court Justices from Indiana « Capitol & Washington (capitolandwashington.com)

Since WWII there have been 35 individuals serving in the top political appointment office, the White House Chief of Staff. Ron Klain currently holds that role, as the only Hoosier to do so.

White House Chief of Staff – Wikipedia

Historically and recently, Indiana has shown above average political influence at the national level in the U.S.