Amendment 4 committee raises $7.8M in 1 week for reproductive rights initiative

The Amendment 4 campaign was bolstered by $7.8 million in new donations — the most the group has raised in a single week — as the fight over Florida’s abortion rights intensifies.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political committee behind the abortion rights initiative, collected $7.8 million from just under 3,500 donors between Sept. 7 and 13, according to the latest campaign finance filing.

“The campaign’s grassroots organizing is continuing to grow by the day, having knocked on over 369,000 doors, made 323,000 phone calls and sent 132,000 texts, showing a volunteer operation that is fired up to end the state’s abortion ban,” the campaign said.

The committee’s fundraising is significantly outpacing an opposition group that emerged to fight the initiative out of concerns that it’s too radical and the ballot language is vague.

Florida Voters Against Extremism raised about $314,000 from about 50 donors during the same period.

Amendment 4 seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution after Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect in May. The amendment needs at least 60% of the vote to pass, and the campaign expects a tight election.

The campaign recorded three $1 million-plus donations, but the vast majority of the nearly 3,500 contributions were for $100 or less. Nearly half gave between $10 and $25.

The biggest donation was $5 million from Our American Future Action, a Washington, D.C.-based group that donates money for reproductive freedom, climate change and other progressive causes. The Washington, D.C.-based Planned Parenthood Action Fund and hedge fund manager and philanthropist Donald Sussman both gave $1 million as well.

So far, Amendment 4 has raised more than $56 million and spent nearly $38 million.

“We’ve raised over $56 million from more than 21,000 Floridians, with support spanning across party lines — Democrats, Republicans, and NPAs — and from all 67 counties,” said Brice Barnes, National Finance Director of the Yes on 4 Campaign. “Over 70% of our donors are women, who continue to be the backbone of our coalition. They recognize that these extreme bans do not serve them and are eager to get the government out of their health care decisions.”

The campaign recently said it launched a multimillion-dollar advertisement campaign statewide to make the case to voters that Florida’s abortion law lacks “real exemptions” for rape and incest victims. When asked in a media call, Amendment 4 campaign leaders declined to say how much they spent on the ads.

For the opposition group, Republican Sen. Colleen Burton’s PAC and Principled Leaders for Florida, chaired by Republican Rep. Erin Grall, both gave $100,000 — the two biggest donations in the latest filing.

Florida Voters Against Extremism has raised about $2.6 million since last year and spent about $644,000.

A national pro-life group says it’s running commercials in Florida to argue Amendment 4 would make it easier for women to get abortions later in pregnancy. And Gov. Ron DeSantis openly campaigns against Amendment 4 during regular news conferences.