Campaigns raise $33M to fight Washington ballot measures
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Opponents of four statewide initiatives in Washington have raised more than $33 million to fight the ballot measures.
Why it matters: The flood of money flowing into the anti-initiative campaigns means voters can expect a deluge of advertisements and campaign mailers seeking to sway them ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Catch up quick: If approved by voters next month, the four initiatives would roll back several policies recently passed by Washington's Democrat-controlled Legislature, including tax measures and efforts to fight climate change.
- I-2109 would repeal the state's new capital gains tax.
- I-2117 would repeal Washington's cap-and-trade law, which puts a price on carbon emissions.
- I-2066 would block local and state policies that discourage the use of natural gas.
- And I-2124 would make the state's long-term care program optional for Washington workers.
State of play: As of this week, campaigns opposing the measures had spent about $6 million, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission, which tracks campaign spending.
- That's less than 20% of their $33.5 million war chest, meaning their biggest spending blitz is yet to come.
- The committee backing the four measures, Let's Go Washington, has raised about $8.1 million this year — less than a quarter of the money raised by initiative opponents.
- Ballots for the Nov. 5 election are arriving in voters' mailboxes this week.
Zoom in: So far, initiative opponents have raised the most money to fight I-2117, the measure that would repeal cap and trade.
- As of this week, the No on 2117 committee had raised nearly $15 million.
- Major donors include former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who gave $1 million to the effort; former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his philanthropist wife Connie Ballmer, who gave $2.5 million; and Tableau co-founder Chris Stolte, who gave $1 million.
Other major donors fighting to keep the anti-pollution law on the books include environmental groups such as the Nature Conservancy; the Puyallup and Nisqually tribes; and Microsoft itself, which gave $750,000.
What they're saying: Opponents of I-2117 have released ads talking about how repealing the cap-and-trade law would eliminate billions of dollars for state programs, including for some transportation projects.
- "I-2117 is a deceptive initiative that would hurt our communities with more pollution and more traffic," Wellesley Daniels, the No on 2117 campaign manager, said in a recent news release.
The other side: Let's Go Washington argues that the law, known as the Climate Commitment Act, has caused gas prices to rise, hurting Washington drivers and businesses.
- In press releases, the committee has called the cap-and-trade law a "hidden gas tax" and criticized the "No" campaigns as being funded by "billion-dollar interests."
What's next: Voters must return their ballots to an official drop box by 8pm on Nov. 5 or ensure mailed ballots are postmarked by that day.
Go deeper: What's on the ballot in Washington state, plus registration tips