(Will be updated as needed)
The primary advocate for a constitutional amendment ensuring there is no right to an abortion in the state constitution raised almost $6 million, topping what proponents for similar measures in other states have raised.
The Value Them Both Coalition reported raising about $4.7 million this year on top of the roughly $1.2 million that it raised last year. It spent $5.4 million this year.
The election on the amendment is Aug. 2.
The fundraising reflects what the organization has spent on broadcast so far this year in what could become the most costly primary campaign in Kansas history.
The total campaign spending this year – already nearing $10 million on both sides – is expected to make this primary one of the most expensive in Kansas history.
Similar to what has played out in campaigns for similar amendments in other states, churches are playing a large role in supporting the amendment.
The Archdiocese of Kansas City gave about $2.5 million to the campaign this year, above the $500,000 it gave to the campaign last year.
The Catholic Diocese of Wichita gave $550,000 to the campaign and the Kansas Catholic Conference contributed $275,000.
Kansans for Life kicked in another $325,000, campaign finance reports show.
And the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina gave $100,000, as did St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood.
J.B. Hodgdon of Shawnee, who along with his wife have been big players in state Republican politics, gave $100,000 to the coalition.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran’s Free State political action committee gave $50,000.
The campaign over the amendment is unfolding a little differently from other states where voters have approved similar proposals.
The supporters of the amendment have been keeping pace – at least with broadcast spending – with opponents of the amendment.
While the supporters of the amendment trail in fundraising, they aren’t getting overwhelmed like supporters of similar amendments in other states.
In a similar campaign in Alabama in 2018, abortion rights supporters spent about $1.4 million trying to defeat that amendment compared to just about $8,000 spent by their rivals. The amendment won with 59% of the vote.
The Tennessee constitutional amendment passed with about 53% of the vote, even though abortion rights supporters spent about $4.5 million campaigning against the amendment.
About $2.4 million was spent campaigning for the amendment, which said that nothing in the Tennessee constitution protects a right to an abortion.
Louisiana was an exception where abortion rights opponents spent more than their rivals and won with 62% of the vote.
But Louisiana was different because opposition to abortion cuts across party lines and racial demographics.
The amendment was authored by a Democratic lawmaker and supported by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who three years ago was the only Democratic governor who opposed abortion.
The money flowing into the Value Them Both Coalition does not include a smattering of other groups that have raised money to spend on the amendment campaign.
Kansas Family Voice, for instance, has raised about $272,600 while the Kansas Catholic Conference raised about $278,200, all of which came of Knights of Columbus chapters across the state.
The Do Right PAC, which was started by former Congressman Tim Huelskamp, reported spending about $203,000 while raising about $532,000.
