A record-breaking $14 million has now been spent by groups for and against Kentucky’s proposed constitutional amendment to allow public funding to go to private and charter school education, which voters will choose in November.
This spending on Amendment 2 has been driven by multimillion dollar contributions from Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass on the “school choice” side supporting the amendment, and from teacher unions opposed to it.
The latest campaign finance reporting period over the last two weeks also shows an influx of millions from “dark money” nonprofits that can shield the identity of their donors — including one connected Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who starred in one ad opposed to Amendment 2.
Political action committees on each side of the issue have now raised roughly $8 million for the advertisement battle over the amendment. Coming into the final two weeks before Election Day, four groups in support of the amendment have reported spending $7.6, while two opposed to it have spent $6.4 million.
The ads opposed to the amendment have said it would siphon tax dollars away from public schools to fund private school vouchers that would disproportionately benefit the wealthy in urban areas. The ads supporting the amendment have said it would give more choice to parents and improve student outcomes, while also claiming it would actually increase public school funding and teacher salaries.
The $14 million of spending on Amendment 2 is already double the previous spending record over a constitutional amendment referendum in Kentucky, as groups spent roughly $7 million in the fight over an amendment involving abortion rights in 2022.
Yass and dark money drive pro-amendment funding
The biggest spender in support of Amendment 2 is Protect Freedom PAC, which has spent $4 million on TV and radio ads, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact.
The federal PAC received $5 million last month from Yass, a school choice supporter and teacher union critic who has largely bankrolled the conservative group in recent years.
Yass and several PACs he has largely funded are longtime supporters of Sen. Rand Paul, who has starred in Protect Freedom ads in support of the amendment.
A state-based PAC that has also spent heavily in support of Amendment 2 is Kentucky Students First. According to its last pre-election filing with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance this week, it has raised and spent $2.5 million over the past two months.
The majority of the funding for Kentucky Students First ($1.35 million) has come from Kentucky Education Freedom Fund, a new dark money 501(c)(4) that is led by the head of the EdChoice Kentucky. The PAC’s spending has mostly been on digital ads and mailers.
Empower Kentucky Parents is another pro-amendment PAC that reported raising $1.25 million over the past few weeks. This consisted of $1 million from the American Federation for Children and $250,000 from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools — both national dark money nonprofits that do not have to disclose their funders.
The Empower Kentucky Parents PAC has reported spending nearly $800,000 on mostly digital ads, which feature a clip of former President Donald Trump expressing support for school choice.
The Kentucky chapter of conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity has also reported spending $328,000 in support of the amendment on digital ads, mailers and canvassing.
Beshear PAC and dark money group enter opposition fight
Protect Our Schools Kentucky is the PAC that has done the heaviest lifting for the anti-amendment side, raising more than $7 million and spending nearly $6 million as of this week.
The PAC reported receiving another $3.25 million from the National Education Association this week, increasing the total contributions of the national teachers union to $5.65 million. The PAC also received $600,000 from America Voters, a Democratic dark money nonprofit involved in races across the country.
Protect Our Schools Kentucky previously received $250,000 each from the statewide Kentucky Education Association and the Jefferson County Teachers Association.
More than $4 million of Protect Our Schools Kentucky spending has been on TV and radio ads, with the rest on digital advertising and mailers.
Also emerging on the anti-Amendment 2 in the past two weeks is Kentuckians for Public Education, Inc., a PAC led by the top political strategist for Beshear and also funded by two political groups affiliated with the governor.
Kentuckians for Public Education reported raising just shy of $1 million, with $475,000 coming from In This Together, the federal leadership PAC of Beshear that can accept contributions of up to $5,000. It also received $400,000 from Heckbent, which is the dark money 501(c)(4) of Beshear that can accept contributions of unlimited amounts that do not have to be disclosed to the public.
Also contributing $100,000 to Kentuckians for Public Education was the American Federation of Teachers, a national teachers union whose president was recently in Kentucky to speak against the amendment in a press conference with Beshear.
The PAC reported spending $444,000 on ads as of this week, which feature Beshear and a public school teacher urging a vote against the amendment.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
