We Are Ohio the group fighting Ohio's Issue 2 is running ads like the one above in the final days of the campaign. By most standards, they've got a decent ad budget. But Greg Sargent reports, unsurprisingly, that they're being heavily outspent by Republican groups determined to pass Issue 2 and strip collective bargaining rights from firefighters, nurses, police, janitors, school aides, librarians, and more:
- Building a Better Ohio — the leading conservative group in the Ohio battle that is partly bankrolled by private sector interests — has booked a total of $1.8 million in Ohio broadcast and cable time from November 2-8.
- Restoring America — a shadowy group which is reported to have been funded by a single donor during a recent battle in Kentucky — has booked $448,000 in Ohio broadcast and cable time from November 3-8.
- Citizens United, the well-known conservative group, has booked a total of $101,070 in Ohio broadcast and cable time from November 4-8. (A group spokesman confirmed the figure.)
That’s a total of over $2.2 million. Meanwhile, a source close to labor’s We Are Ohio says the pro union forces have booked around $1.8 million in air time, which means they may get outspent by at least half a million in the final stretch.
Mary Cheney's Alliance for America's Future also continues to spend heavily on mail pieces that are variously deceptive and try to turn this into a proxy vote against President Obama.
The importance of telling your friends to vote no on Issue 2 cannot be overstated.