Abortion-rights Groups Outraising Proponents 8-to-1 on November Ballot Measures
Abortion-rights ballot measure supporters across the country have raised nearly eight times as much as groups campaigning against the amendments on the November ballots.
But that advantage may not translate into a huge benefit down the stretch in Florida, the most expensive of the nine statewide campaigns to enshrine abortion rights into state constitutions.
So far, campaign finance data compiled by the watchdog group Open Secrets and analyzed by The Associated Press tells a similar story in most of those states: Amendment backers have raised multiple times as much money and have far more donors, bringing in nearly $108 million compared to $14 million for their opponents as of reports aggregated by Tuesday. Still, it’s not a sure thing that will mean more spending to promote the measures in every state in the final weeks before the Nov. 5 elections.
“The apparent differential on campaign finance reports does nothing to reassure me that we will not see large, late spending on these campaigns,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of The Fairness Project, which is providing money and other support for abortion rights groups in several of the campaigns.
The measures would roll back restrictions in some states and enshrine protections into the constitutions in others after the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Most GOP-controlled states implemented bans or restrictions after the ruling. Most Democratic-controlled ones offered some protections for abortion access.
The ballot measures could also drive voter turnout in the elections.
The money goes to ads — and elsewhere
Campaigns that raise more money have an edge reaching voters with ads on TV, radio and websites, along with mailers and yard signs and more organizing power for door-knocking and other efforts.
That's evident so far in Missouri and Montana, where big funding advantages have translated into far more ad buys, according to data collected by the media tracking firm AdImpact.
In Missouri, the Open Secrets data shows abortion rights groups have raised more than $5 million, and state filings reflect millions more in contributions, including $1 million from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The giving has fueled over $11 million in ad spending supporting a measure that would overturn the state's ban compared with less than $50,000 opposing it.
In Montana, pro-amendment groups lead in ad spending, with more than $11 million compared to under $50,000 for opponents.
There hasn't been as much ad activity so far in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada or South Dakota. In Nebraska, abortion opponents have raised slightly less money but have spent slightly more on ad buys. Contribution totals don't have to be reported in Nevada or South Dakota until later this month.
Supporters of the ballot measures also have some costs that opponents don't.
Getting most of the abortion questions on the ballots required signature drives, which are a major cost for their sponsors. And with most of the questions, there were legal battles over whether ballot requirements were met. Paying lawyers in those battles often falls to the groups behind the campaigns, reducing how much of the money they raise is available for reaching voters.
The costs of legal challenges often do not eat into their opponents' fundraising the same way.
The Thomas More Society, for instance, challenged initiatives in Missouri and Nebraska. The group is not required to file campaign finance reports.
And in Florida, the state attorney general challenged that state's measure, shifting legal expenses to taxpayers.
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