I-200 Supporters Optimistic Despite Fund-Raising Gap
I-200 Supporters Optimistic Despite Fund-Raising Gapby Tom Brune
Seattle Times staff reporter
The sponsors of Initiative 200 concede they'll likely lose the spending war after their opponents raised 15 times more than they did last month.
I-200 co-chairman Scott Smith said his campaign could be outspent by as much as 4-1 by the time voters go to the polls Nov. 3 to decide on the measure that would roll back state- and local-government affirmative-action policies.
"We're not going to have the money they're going to have," Smith said. "But it's not about money as much as it used to be." He said he's relying on "what's in people's hearts, to do the right thing."
The campaign collected just $9,000 in contributions in May, compared to $135,000 in cash and pledges picked up by their opponents.
But the No!200 campaign is still playing catch-up overall. Since it began in March 1997 through the end of May, the I-200 campaign has raised $372,442 and spent $362,970. In contrast, No!200 raised $314,742 in contributions and pledges and spent $211,800 in that same period.
After debts are subtracted, I-200 had $9,446 in cash on hand at the end of May, and the No!200 campaign had $93.
No!200 campaign director Kelly Evans said the growing list of contributors shows the depth of the opposition to I-200 among voters.
"We are raising money from as many sources as we can," she said. "It's going well."
Initiative opponents raised $50,699 in cash and in-kind contributions from more than 250 donors, according to the May report that the No!200 campaign submitted yesterday to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
The campaign also reported it had gotten three pledges of large contributions: $50,000 from Boeing, $25,000 from the American Civil Liberties Union and $10,000 from veteran Democratic fund-raiser Kenneth Alhadeff.
In addition, the national board of the NAACP said it would spend $50,000 to defeat I-200, but Evans said that money may go for efforts independent of the No!200 campaign.
Large contributors
Among the largest contributors to the No!200 campaign last month were Costco CEO James Sinegal and Costco president Jeffrey Brotman, $5,000 each; Michael Alhadeff, $2,500; and attorney Judith Runstad, $2,500.
Dan Evans, the former Republican governor who initiated affirmative action in state government in the 1960s and 1970s, also contributed $1,000.
"They had a good May. We'll have a good June," said John Carlson, who co-chairs the I-200 campaign with Smith and is responsible for fund raising.
Already, Carlson said he had collected $26,500 this month, and he expects to raise more.
The I-200 campaign reported that 12 donors contributed $9,362 in cash and in-kind contributions in May. Of those, Pistol Creek Financial Company of Bellevue contributed the most, $7,787.
Although he anticipates being outspent, Carlson said, "What's important is that we have the money to put out the message."
Smith said he is not surprised by the current lack of cash.
"I think it takes courage to stand up for our side, especially in the face of what appears to be a lot of opposition," he said. "The mainstream media, the TV stations, the city and county organizations, corporations, they all oppose us. But every poll we take puts our support at 60 percent or more in Seattle."
What Smith's relying on
Smith also is relying on the time-tested strength of the language about the initiative on the ballot, which calls for an end to preferences based on race, ethnicity and gender in state- and local-government employment, contracting and public college admissions.
"I think when they get in there and start reading the ballot title," he said, "most good, ethical people will vote our way."
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Carl
Gutierrez-Jones
Department of English
University of California, Santa Barbara
e-mail: carlgj@humanitas.ucsb.edu