Current:Home > InvestGOP megadonor pours millions into effort to hinder Ohio abortion amendment -Wealth Legacy Solutions
GOP megadonor pours millions into effort to hinder Ohio abortion amendment
TradeEdge View
Date:2025-03-11 08:34:24
Ohio voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 8, to vote on Issue 1. The following story was first published on July 28.
New campaign finance records show Illinois Republican megadonor Richard Uihlein is funding the bulk of the campaign aimed at thwarting a constitutional amendment on abortion in Ohio.
Ohio is likely the only state this year to have a measure on the ballot to enshrine abortion access into the state constitution, setting up a test case for how the issue may drive voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election. A USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll released this week found 58% of Ohioans support a constitutional amendment.
That support may not be enough to pass. Currently, such amendments require support from a simple majority — 50% + 1 vote. But the GOP-led state legislature set up a special election for Aug. 8 to raise the threshold to 60%. That measure is known as Ohio Issue 1.
Uihlein, an Illinois shipping supplies magnate with a history of donations to anti-abortion groups, was the top funder of Protect our Constitution, the main group supporting Issue 1. Uihlein gave $4 million to the group, the bulk of the $4.85 million raised.
Last month, a CBS News investigation found Uihlein had an outsized role in getting Issue 1 on the ballot. In April, he gave $1.1 million to a political committee pressuring Republican lawmakers to approve the August special election. Financial disclosures show a foundation controlled by Uihlein has given nearly $18 million to a Florida-based organization pushing similar changes to the constitutional amendment process in states across the country.
Uihlein didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ohio Republicans pushing to change the rules over constitutional amendments originally billed the effort as one that would prevent outside interests from influencing the state constitution. But supporters, including Secretary of State Frank LaRose, have since acknowledged the change would make it harder for a constitutional amendment on abortion to pass.
Last year, voters in Kansas and Michigan chose to preserve abortion access in their state constitutions with just under 60% approval.
Once the August special election was approved, money began to flow in on both sides. The central group opposed to raising the threshold for passing an amendment to 60%, One Person One Vote, raised a total of $14.4 million. The Sixteen Thirty Fund gave $2.5 million to the effort, campaign finance records show. The group, based in Washington D.C., has spent millions on left-leaning causes, including the campaign against the confirmation of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
- In:
- Abortion
- Ohio
Caitlin Huey-Burns is a political correspondent for CBS News based in Washington, D.C.
TwitterveryGood! (2387)
Related
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Microsoft to pay $20 million over FTC charges surrounding kids' data collection
- Debate 2020: The Candidates’ Climate Positions & What They’ve Actually Done
- Coach Flash Sale: Save 85% on Handbags, Shoes, Jewelry, Belts, Wallets, and More
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- How to Watch King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla’s Coronation on TV and Online
- Troubled by Trump’s Climate Denial, Scientists Aim to Set the Record Straight
- Jim Hines, first sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds, dies at 76
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Pippa Middleton Makes Rare Public Appearance at King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s Coronation
Ranking
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Why Queen Camilla's Coronation Crown Is Making Modern History
- Astrud Gilberto, The Girl from Ipanema singer who helped popularize bossa nova, dead at 83
- We Can Pull CO2 from Air, But It’s No Silver Bullet for Climate Change, Scientists Warn
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- See the Royal Family Unite on the Buckingham Palace Balcony After King Charles III's Coronation
- Florida arranged migrant flights to California, where officials are considering legal action
- Joe Biden says the COVID-19 pandemic is over. This is what the data tells us
Recommendation
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
How King Charles III's Coronation Honored His Late Dad Prince Philip
Every Royally Adorable Moment of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at the Coronation
Today’s Climate: June 9, 2010
Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
Texas Fracking Zone Emits 90% More Methane Than EPA Estimated
Today’s Climate: June 17, 2010
Kate Middleton's Look at King Charles III and Queen Camilla's Coronation Is Fit for a Princess