AUGUSTA — Supporters of gay marriage continue to hold a large early fundraising edge months in advance of the November vote, but opponents say a Father’s Day collection effort at churches in Maine and across the country will soon give them a financial boost.
Mainers United for Marriage, the largest political action committee in support of gay marriage, took in about $359,000 in cash donations from April 1 to May 29, said David Farmer, spokesman for the group. That brings their total fundraising for the year to $465,559.
Although the group had not yet filed its campaign finance report — it wasn’t due until 11:59 p.m. Friday — Farmer said it would show a large donation from Freedom to Marry Maine PAC, a New York group that supports gay marriage efforts across the country. In total, the group donated $29,775.
Freedom to Marry got the bulk of its money — $50,000 — from Chris Hughes, a Facebook founder who has pledged up to $100,000 as part of a matching gift challenge in support of gay marriage.
On the other side, opponents reported $9,754 in contributions this reporting period to the Protect Marriage Maine political action committee, for a total of $11,439 this year. The largest single donation came from the Newport Church of God in Brewer, which contributed $800. The National Organization for Marriage donated $3,150 through in-kind contributions.
Carroll Conley, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, said the group has just begun to approach potential donors. On Father’s Day, June 17, between 150-200 churches in Maine and others across the country will pass a second collection plate to support efforts to defeat a gay marriage ballot question in the fall, he said.
“We’ve had a number of churches and individuals from around the country ask to participate in that,” he said.
Conley said gay marriage supporters got an early edge in fundraising because they had the organizational structure in place following their successful effort to gather the more than 50,000 signatures necessary to get a citizen initiative on the ballot. Opponents just had their first executive committee meeting in early May, he said.
“There’s going to be a lot of money in Maine and coming from the outside,” he said. “That’s the political piece that can’t be overlooked.”
Opponents expect to get money and in-kind donations from the National Organization for Marriage, which donated nearly $2 million in 2009 to defeat gay marriage at the polls. The 2009 outcome was 53-47 percent.
Mainers United and Protect Marriage Maine are the two major political action committees that will raise and spend money on the campaign, although other groups have registered with the state so they can spend money to influence voters, too.
Supporters launched an aggressive fundraising campaign last month when Hughes and his partner, Sean Eldridge, pledged up to $100,000 to the Maine effort. The wealthy Democratic activists from New York gave Mainers United until June 7 to meet the fundraising goal.
“We expect to meet the goal next week,” Farmer said.
Overall, supporters have said they believe they will raise about $5 million to try to convince Mainers to support the November ballot question that would change Maine law to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
“We feel good about our fundraising, but this is going to be an expensive race,” Farmer said. “We’re going to call on our supporters over and over again.”
Susan Cover — 621-5643
scover@mainetoday.com
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