Marriage amendment fight topped $18M
The final tallies have come in on the record-breaking campaign over the marriage amendment in Minnesota last year.
The two sides combined spent more than $18 million, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state. Voters ultimately defeated a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as only between a man and a woman.
Opponents of the amendment spent more than $12million to defeat the measure, while those in support spent nearly half that.
Autumn Leva with Minnesota for Marriage says they expected to be outspent.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
"We raised about 60-percent of the total spent nationwide in defense of marriage so we think that's great," she said. "We are very, very thankful to the donors and want to emphasize the continued need for support."
Minnesota was one of four states with marriage questions on the ballot.
Two-thirds of the money raised by the pro-amendment side came from three groups: The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Minnesota Family Council and the National Organization for Marriage.
The battle now moves to the Legislature, where some DFL lawmakers have said they'll push to legalize same-sex marriage this session.
There was also a multimillion dollar campaign surrounding the other constitutional amendment that voters turned back. That one would have required people to present photo IDs to vote. final fundraising totals are not yet available for that issue.