Millions of dollars pour in from outside Kentucky to influence voters on school funding amendment
Republished from Kentucky Lantern
FRANKFORT — More than $16 million will be spent wooing Kentuckians to vote for or against the so-called “school choice” amendment, making it the most expensive election ever over changing Kentucky’s 1891 Constitution.
In final pre-election campaign finance reports filed last week, each side has reported raising roughly $8 million, with those totals sure to go up after post-election reports are filed in late November. The campaign pits teacher unions opposed to the amendment against a billionaire school choice advocate from Pennsylvania.
It has seen Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear take to the airwaves against the amendment and for the first time spending big money from PACs he set up to promote his political goals after his reelection last year. Most of the $16 million comes from outside Kentucky. And much of it comes from mysterious “dark money” groups which structure themselves in a way that allows them to keep the names of their donors private.
Louisville Public Media has reported that the amount spent on campaigns for and against Amendment 2 is a record amount for any Kentucky constitutional amendment, more than double the roughly $7 million spent in 2022 on an abortion rights amendment. By comparison, spending over Amendment 2 is far less than the $70 million spent on last year’s race for governor.
Here’s a look at the four committees advocating passage of Amendment 2 and the two groups opposing it.
For Amendment 2
Protect Freedom Political Action Committee: $3.75 million-plus
This PAC is effectively a donor alias for the Pennsylvania multi-billionaire and mega donor Jeff Yass, who is essentially the only donor to Protect Freedom so far this year. Yass is an investment trader, a big investor in TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance, and a longtime mega donor to committees supporting Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. Yass has been a champion of charter schools and private school vouchers for many years, donating millions for the cause in his home state, and across the country. He’s now giving big in Kentucky. In September he gave $5 million to Protect Freedom. In turn, Protect Freedom’s reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show it has paid $3.75 million to the Ohio companies that are producing and placing ads promoting Amendment 2. Paul and his wife Kelley have been featured in one of those ads advocating for the amendment.
Kentucky Students First: $2,525,525
This is the main Kentucky-based committee advocating for the amendment and it has received its largest contributions — totaling $1.35 million — from Kentucky Education Freedom Fund Inc., a Louisville dark money group headed by longtime private school advocate Charles Leis. It also has reported large contributions from donors who have deep roots in Northern Kentucky: $500,000 from Anthony Yung, president of the hotel development company Columbia Sussex; $100,000 from the Crescent Springs developer Matth Toebben; $200,000 from Anthony Zembrodt, of Covington; $75,000 from the Drees Company, of Fort Mitchell; $25,000 from Robert Kohlhepp, formerly of Covington and now living in Naples, Florida. Other large donors: $100,000 from Kentuckians for Progress, of Louisville; $75,000 from American Federation for Children, of Columbia, Maryland.; $25,000 from James Patterson, of West Palm Beach, Florida, president of PATTCO Inc.
Empower Kentucky Parents: $1,250,000
This is a newly-registered Kentucky political committee, created and mostly funded by the Dallas-based American Federation for Children. Last week it reported having gotten $1.25 million in three big contributions from dark money groups: $500,000 from American Federation for Children, of Dallas; $500,000 from American Federation for Children Growth Fund, of Dallas; and $250,000 from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, of Washington, D.C.
Americans for Prosperity – Kentucky: $327,828
This is a Kentucky political committee that has reported getting all of its contributions — $327,828 — from its national affiliate Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group based in Arlington, Virginia. It has reported to the Kentucky election registry that it has spent this money on canvassing voters, mailers, door hangers and digital ads.
Against Amendment 2
Protect Our Schools: $7,057,037
This is the main political committee opposing the amendment and it is largely funded by the teachers unions. Reports it has filed with the Registry of Election Finance show it has received: $5,665,000 from the National Education Association, of Washington, D.C.; $265,000 from the Kentucky Education Association; $250,000 from the Jefferson County Teachers Association; $600,000 from America Votes, of Washington; $60,000 from Movement Voter Project, of Northampton, Massachusetts; $50,000 from Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, of Washington; $50,000 from Council for Better Education, of Frankfort; $25,000 from the United Food and Commercial Workers 227 Foundation, of Louisville; and $20,000 from Vote Save America, of Washington, D.C..
Kentuckians for Public Education Inc.: $975,025
This is a committee operated by Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign manager and largely funded by Andy Beshear political committees and has featured Beshear in a television ad. Last week it reported it had received three large contributions: $475,000 from Beshear’s PAC called In This Together; $100,000 from the teacher union American Federation of Teachers, of Washington, D.C.; and $400,000 from Beshear’s dark money committee called Heckbent Inc.
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