A total of about $8 million has already poured in from supporters and opponents of California's marriage ban, with everyone from Mary Cheney to PG&E throwing money at the epic battle.
Receipts from supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 filed with the California secretary of state Thursday show that supporters of the marriage ban raised about $3.7 million in cash and in-kind contributions in the six-month period between January 1 and June 30, while opponents generated approximately $4.1 million within the same time frame.
The semiannual statements, which are filed by committees, or PACs, and established by groups to raise funds for and against Proposition 8, herald the start of an epic fund-raising battle over the November ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
?“Given the magnitude of this issue and the fact that it’s playing out in our largest state, I’m not terribly surprised by the amount of money that’s been attracted,” said Steven Billet, director of legislative affairs at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. “It’s probably going to attract a lot more before it’s all said and done.”
Prior to the November 4 vote on the ballot initiative, millions of dollars more from in and outside the state are expected to pour into California. Estimates suggest the total for opponents and supporters could reach as much as $30 million.
Filings with the secretary of state show hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from anti-Prop. 8 groups such as the Gill Action Fund, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Service Center, the Horizons Foundation, and the Democratic National Committee’s federal fund. Also appearing are large and moderate contributions from individuals, such as $50,000 from Ambassador James C. Hormel of California, and $3,000 from Mary Cheney of Virginia. ?
Thousands of modest donations from individuals in and outside California also poured in to fight Proposition 8. According to the “No on 8 Equality for All” campaign, the lead committee established to fight the marriage ban, over 96% of its donors have contributed less than $1,000, and Internet donations total approximately $480,000. Those numbers likely will continue to grow, if the past few weeks offer any indication.
Not included in the semiannual filings are contributions made after June 30, such as $250,000 given in late July by Pacific Gas and Electric Company; $500,000 from David Maltz, a Cleveland businessman; and $1 million from Utah-based software entrepreneur Bruce Bastian, who announced his contribution at the San Francisco HRC dinner on July 26.
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