PACs for and against Prop 1 raise more than $2.5 million in the last two weeks
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Laura Guido, Idaho Capital Sun
BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — The political action committee opposing Idaho’s Proposition 1 abortion rights initiative collected nearly $1.5 million since the end of September, buoyed by two large donations from churches.
The Too Extreme for Idaho PAC, reported the previously announced $1 million donation from the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 8. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise donated another $300,000 to the PAC opposing the initiative the next day.
Since Sept. 29, Too Extreme for Idaho received $153,985 from 32 individual people and $1.3 million from four organizations, including the two churches.
Too Extreme for Idaho has raised a total of just over $4 million, campaign finance data shows.
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As of Monday, the PAC supporting the initiative, Idahoans United for Women and Families, brought in more than $630,000 since Sept. 29. The largest donation came from the federal Government that Works PAC, based out of Washington, D.C, which gave $250,000.
Oklahoma-based billionaire philanthropist Lynn Schusterman donated $200,000 on Sept. 30, campaign finance data shows. Since Sept. 29, the PAC received $265,290 from 81 individuals and $370,000 from three organizations.
In total, Idahoans United has collected more than $5.6 million.
Independent expenditures for and against Prop 1 total more than $2.5 million
Groups and individuals spent more than $2.5 million combined to support and oppose Prop 1 in independent expenditures, which includes spending by organizations or individuals spent directly to support or oppose a ballot measure.
The Idaho Secretary of State’s office in late September and early October began sharing a message with those filing campaign finance reports to request that any spending for or against a ballot initiative, constitutional amendment or advisory question be reported as an independent expenditure to help “voters more easily find and understand spending related to ballot measures.”
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The notice, first uploaded to the campaign finance reporting portal the last week of September and then updated on Oct. 7, also asked filers to amend previous campaign finance reports to classify spending related to ballot measures as independent expenditures. This request is likely why this category of election spending seemed to jump significantly from a previous Idaho Capital Sun analysis of campaign spending data.
Groups, including several county-level Republican central committees, as of Monday have spent more than $1.4 million to oppose the measure, campaign finance data shows.
The anti-abortion group Right to Life Idaho PAC also reported spending more than $17,600 on advertising regarding the ballot measure, but reported its position as “N/A” in its campaign finance disclosure report. The same PAC reported a little over $1,000 in opposition to the measure, campaign finance data shows.
Too Extreme for Idaho led independent expenditure spending with over $1.2 million spent in opposition. Idaho Chooses Life also reported spending more than $66,000 to oppose the initiative.
Idahoans United reported spending $1.1 million in independent expenditures to support the initiative. Boise Democratic Socialists of America, Incorporated spent just under $760, and Planned Parenthood Votes Idaho PAC reported around $330 to support the initiative.