Campaign finance records do not reflect total spending on the abortion “travel ban.”

LUBBOCK, Texas (KXXV) — “Campaign finance records don’t capture total Amarillo abortion ‘travel ban’ election spending” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan media organization that informs – and engages with – Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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LUBBOCK — Campaign finance records fail to account for all the money spent on advertising for an anti-abortion policy proposal in Amarillo which voters rejected last monthan analysis by The Texas Tribune and Sunlight Research Center found.

In the months leading up to the vote, thousands of dollars poured into advertising for and against Proposition A, a local ballot measure that drew national attention. The proposal would have opened the door to private lawsuits against people accused of using local streets and highways to drive someone else for an out-of-state abortion.

Previously filed local campaign records, along with social media spending reports and federally mandated notices for television ads, provide a window into the spending behind the election. However, the actual cost of the fight is still unknown and can never be fully disclosed due to certain tax laws.

Campaign finance records, which cover money raised and spent by political committees between August and late October, show opponents of the ballot measure outspent groups supporting it by more than $20,000 — thanks in part to spending by a progressive state.

However, thousands more were likely spent on billboards than reflected in financial disclosures by any of the groups involved, the review found, calling the total into question.

Sherri Greenberg, associate dean for state and local government engagement at the University of Texas, said campaign finance records are based on transparency and full disclosure. However, she said it’s not uncommon for missing information to show up in local campaigns due to inexperience.

A voter walks past people campaigning for and against Proposition A outside a polling place on Election Day in Amarillo. Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune “He’s not a candidate running for election or re-election,” Greenberg said. “You have groups that fund and either support or oppose the initiative that are not familiar with the specifics of the files, the details or the data.”

A final round of campaign finance filings for the 2024 election is scheduled for January 15. However, the Tribune and Sunlight’s analysis found obvious expenses in the previous reporting period that are not accounted for.

Sunlight, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization, attempted to identify all political ad spending in the Amarillo area related to the Nov. 5 ballot measure. Sunlight analyzed photos of billboards pulled from social media, blog posts and news stories. The researchers compared nearby visible signage and other identifiable features from the billboard photos to Google Maps Street View images to map each corresponding location as closely as possible.

Sunlight then compared the map coordinates to coverage maps, photos and sales details published by Burkett Outdoor Advertising and Lamar, another national advertising company.

Sunlight also sought financial disclosures filed with the Texas Ethics Commission and the city of Amarillo for expenses and in-kind donations, including disclosures about advertising expenditures to certain vendors. The organization examined advertising on Instagram and Facebook by searching the Meta Ad Library for ads targeting Amarillo.

Finally, Sunlight searched FCC public inspection files for political ads and programming files from broadcast stations serving the Amarillo area. It also identified political ad spending in the “Political Files” section for each post, selecting files from 2024 associated with the Proposition A campaign.

At least 21 ads supporting and opposing the ballot measure appeared along Interstates 40 and 27, both of which see heavy daily traffic. With messages like “Keep Texas Roads Open: Say No to Travel Bans” and “Stop Soros: Ban Abortion Trafficking,” the billboards cost at least $20,650 to $24,300 in the months leading up to the election.

There were two main political committees that supported the proposal: Project Destiny Amarillo and the Amarillo Area Young Republicans. They were the only organizations that disclosed spending on billboards or in-kind donations. Project Destiny Amarillo’s only in-kind contribution, labeled “billboards,” cost $750 and was paid for by Green Tree & Landscaping.

(Why a conservative Texas mayor defied his colleagues and put the brakes on an abortion ‘travel ban’)

The Young Republican Political Committee reported advertising expenses of $6,550 paid to Burkett Outdoor Advertising. However, at least two billboards, valued at $2,200 each, had the disclaimer “paid for by Project Destiny Amarillo.”

Project Destiny Amarillo had raised more than $74,000 as of Oct. 28 when it filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, including nearly $10,000 in in-kind donations. They spent more than $56,000 campaigning on the proposal, with reported expenses such as $16,164 for printed materials and $35,579.38 for Mike Stevens, a Lubbock political consultant who has worked on other “sanctuary city” campaigns in Texas . The PAC may have spent more money in the final days of the campaign, which has yet to be reported.

Nearly $33,000 of the money raised by Project Destiny Amarillo came through four large donations from Amarillo residents, including Jim Schrader, a business owner, who donated $10,158. Jennifer Roberts, another business owner and PAC treasurer, donated a total of $9,182. Jamie Haynes, who ran for a seat in the Texas House and lost in the March primary, donated $3,628 in in-kind donations to support an informational event, while her husband, John, donated $10,000.

The group also had smaller donations to boost its efforts, including a $1,100 donation from Don Tipps, the only city council member to support the proposal, and donations of $500 each from state Sen. New Mexico’s David Gallegos and Texas state representative Briscoe Cain, who co-sponsored the state abortion ban.

According to the analysis, supporters of the ordinance bought at least $4,615 worth of broadcast ads, though the amount spent could be higher. There were several Project Destiny Amarillo advertising expenditures that were listed in FCC records from local broadcasters that were not in PAC campaign finance filings.

The Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance, the local group opposing the ordinance, formed the Amarillo Freedom Political Action Committee to fight the ordinance directly. It raised a total of $31,783. About half—$15,000—of the money raised came from three donors, James Whitton, Margaret O’Brien and Reese Beddingfield, who donated $5,000 each.

Both Whitton and O’Brien come from longtime Panhandle families with ties to Hastings Entertainment. Beddingfield is a local business owner.

ARFA members donated $3,061.70 to the committee.

Campaign finance records from July 1 to Oct. 28 show the committee spent $9,821.36, including $3,244.13 in advertising expenses. They did not disclose spending on billboards.

Neither Project Destiny Amarillo nor Amarillo Freedom representatives responded to requests for comment from the Tribune.

Lindsay London and members of the Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance are hosting a meeting on April 29th. The group gathered to discuss strategy after the anti-abortion group turned in signatures for a proposal to ban abortion travel. Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune Outside of donations, the campaign to support the ordinance got a boost from conservative news outlets, including Texas Scorecard. The station published dozens of comments by Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life East Texas and leader of the “Sanctuary City for the Unborn” movement. The station is owned by the Citizens News Guild. Annual displays show Tim Dunna Midland oilman and Conservative mega-donor, is on the guild’s board.

Local opponents were also supported by out-of-town groups.

For starters, the Alliance is connected to Ground Game Texas, a political nonprofit that builds local campaigns for progressive issues. A 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, Ground Game is permitted to protect the identities of donors in accordance with federal law.

And Avow, a Texas abortion advocacy organization, has invested more than $74,000 in digital advertising, print, mail and text campaigns opposing the ordinance, according to filings with the Texas Ethics Commission.

Other state and national organizations, including the ACLU of Texas, Jane’s Due Process and the Women’s March, also fought the ordinance. The review found that the Women’s March group sponsored some of the billboards against Proposition A, along with signs and social media promotions.

The Potter Randall County Medical Society Board, a local group of doctors and hospital workers, also formed a PAC to oppose the ordinance. The latest campaign finance committee report from September 26 to October 28 shows $4,468.74 in cash and in-kind donations. They reported no expenses.

During the election season, the medical society was accused of violating Texas Ethics Commission rules by members, including some who donated in favor of the ordinance. A lawyer SENT organization a letter saying that the council did not register the PAC before engaging in political activity. An Amarillo attorney responded for the board, saying it denies unethical activity. They only accepted contributions from board members and did not spend the organization’s money on the campaign, the letter said. A spokesperson told the Amarillo Tribune that their campaign finance filing was late.

— Research and data analysis provided by Audrey Nielsen, Michael Nolan, and Diara J. Town of the Sunlight Research Center

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune TO https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/09/texas-abortion-travel-ban-amarillo-funding/.

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