Colorado abortion rights advocates accelerate ballot campaign
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Colorado reproductive rights advocates recently spent nearly $2 million on a TV ad campaign to convince voters to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution.
Yes, but: It's merely a fraction of their overall campaign spending, with much of it taking place through political nonprofits that don't need to disclose donors.
Why it matters: Colorado voters broadly favor abortion rights, but the advocates behind the 2024 ballot measure aren't taking chances, deploying a sweeping coalition to target voters.
State of play: The main force behind Amendment 79 is the issue committee Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom.
- The campaign reported raising $8 million, according to its latest campaign finance report through Sept. 25.
- It spent about $1.7 million on a new TV ad and campaign materials — the most of any Colorado campaign in the latest reporting period that ended Sept. 25, an Axios analysis finds.
Between the lines: Karen Middleton, one of the campaign leaders, tells us another $5 million in contributions came into a cadre of political nonprofits working alongside the issue committee.
- The combined fundraising makes it one of the highest-grossing campaigns in Colorado this year, she says.
What they're saying: "Up until this point, we did more targeted and focused outreach. Now we are ramping up bigger, broader messages because this is when a lot of voters are starting to pay attention," Middleton said in an interview.
The intrigue: The nonprofit coalition is running the same TV ad as the issue committee, just with slightly different language.
- Because of their nonprofit status, they cannot ask voters to support Amendment 79, but instead to support "freedom" for women to choose what to do with their bodies.
The big picture: Regardless of where the money lands, abortion rights advocates are getting help from big donors to keep TV ads on the airwaves.
- "Our goal is to communicate enough … to keep that message up until Election Day," Middleton said.