Campaign finance reports were due in Ohio last Thursday, and labor groups supporting a repeal of Senate Bill 5, a bill that would strip public workers of collective bargaining rights, continued to be transparent while Republican groups did not.
Unions and groups like teachers' associations donated $30 million to We Are Ohio, the main group pushing for a repeal. Building a Better Ohio, the main group defending the law and its champion Gov. John Kasich, set up a corporate nonprofit to fund raise and, once again, did not disclose. The group did voluntarily disclose the names of donors, but not donation amounts. Donors included wealthy Ohioans; private businesses; and other front groups like Make Ohio Great, a front for the Republican Governors Association, which funneled millions in out-of-state corporate cash into Ohio to elect Kasich in 2010.
According to the information available, it appears Building a Better Ohio raised $7.6 million, while Make Ohio Great, which is also running TV ads, revealed no information at all.
In an interview with Andrew Stelzer of National Radio Project's Making Contact, Ludwig talks about newly released campaign finance reports related to Issue 2 on this November’s ballot in Ohio. Disclosure of donors and dollars was sparse by GOP-funded anti-union campaigns. Union supporters, looking to repeal SB 5, are spending record amounts as well.
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