Who Funds No. 1 in Ohio? - Burningcatlyon

Ohio Issue 1 backers have raised and spent significantly more than opponents as both parties benefit from out-of-state dark money

Proponents of Ohio Issue 1, which would overhaul the way congressional and state districts are drawn, have raised and spent significantly more money than opponents as both parties benefit from out-of-state dark money.

Ohio State, number 1 explained: What is it? Would it stop gerrymandering?

Ohio Issue 1 would replace elected officials with a 15-member citizen commission to draw state legislative and congressional districts. The proposed constitutional amendment would also change the way districts are drawn, emphasizing that maps should closely reflect how Ohioans voted in recent statewide elections.

Opponents say Ohio should maintain the status quo: a committee of seven elected officials responsible for redistricting.

As the campaigns enter their final week, here’s the money race:

How much money did Yes raise at number 1?

The campaign for Ohio Issue 1 is called Citizens Not Politicians. The campaign has raised nearly $40 million since it launched last September.

Of that amount, nearly $7 million came from donors and organizations in Ohio, according to campaign finance filings through mid-October. Groups in Washington, D.C. have spent nearly $15 million on the campaign so far.

How much money did Yes spend on number 1?

Citizens Not Politicians spent more than $37 million to pass the proposed constitutional amendment.

The largest expenditures include approximately $25 million in advertising, including TV ads; $7 million to signature collection company Advanced Micro Targeting and $1.1 million to The Pivot Group for direct mail.

These figures are current up to and including mid-October. Any additional expenditures will not be reported until after the November 5 elections.

Who are Yes’ biggest donors in issue 1?

Top donors to Ohio Issue 1 include progressive groups and unions from out of state, which typically support Democratic candidates. The list includes:

According to campaign finance records, U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ campaign donated $25,000 for No. 1 in late August. Jeffries could become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives if Democrats regain control of the chamber.

Earlier this year, Ohio’s Republican Party-controlled legislature passed a law banning foreign nationals, including green card holders, from contributing to voting campaigns. That law was challenged in court, but confirmed on appeal.

This law was intended Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss who donated millions to liberal groups between spring 2016 and spring 2020, including $135 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, according to the New York Times. Wyss lives in Wyoming and is using a visa in lieu of permanent residency. according to a complaint challenging his fundraising.

What does Citizens Not Politicians say about the fundraising?

“Yes on 1 has the momentum heading into the final stretch of the campaign,” said retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican who helped draft the amendment. “This report shows that Ohioans are willing to include an explicit ban on gerrymandering in the Ohio Constitution and put citizens, not politicians, in charge of drafting legislative plans, which we will achieve by voting Yes on issue 1.”

How much money did No raise at Issue 1?

The campaign against Ohio Issue 1 is called Ohio Works. (It has a nearly identical name for a group involved in the 2018 Ohio speaker’s race but a spokeswoman said it is not the same organization.) The campaign has raised $5.6 million since the end of August.

Of that amount, $2.7 million came from donors and organizations in Ohio. Washington DC-based donors contributed another $2.1 million, according to campaign finance reports.

How much money did No spend on issue 1?

According to campaign finance reports, Ohio Works had spent $4.5 million to defeat No. 1 through mid-October.

Almost all of that money was spent on TV advertising Strategic media placement and mailers and other advertisements with Majority strategiestwo companies that work with Republicans.

Ohio Works also paid a $70,000 deposit Agincourt political advisors where former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik is president.

Who are No. 1’s biggest donors?

Ohio Works’ top donors include conservative groups from outside the state. The list includes:

American Jobs and Growth Funda Washington, DC, dark money group that was against legalizing marijuana in Ohio And donated to a group supporting Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s bid: $1.75 million
Ohioans for a Healthy Economyan independent expenditure group with ties to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, which opposes #1: $1 million
American Action Networka conservative group that supports Republicans running for Congress: $400,000.
Campaigns for members of Congress have also donated. The Ohio Rep. campaign Jim Jordan gave $250,000 to oppose Issue 1. Campaigns for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer each gave $100,000. The Ohio Rep. campaign Mike Carey netted $75,000.

Other donors included Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew owner Jimmy Haslam and Greif heiress Ginni Ragan, a longtime donor to Ohio House Republican politics. 55 Green Meadows, a dark money group with ties to Ohio nursing homes, donated $250,000.

The Ohio Republican Party has also spent money to defeat Issue 1, including paying for yard signs.

What does Ohio Works say about the fundraising?

“We knew we were going to spend more,” said Matt Dole, spokesman for Ohio Works. “We’re an Ohio-powered campaign. We’re still confident about Election Day.”

Ohio Works filed its campaign finance report after Thursday’s 4 p.m. deadline. Dole said the campaign was given guidance that it could not be submitted until midnight.

Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations in Ohio.