Opposition to a Washington State ballot initiative to require labels on products containing genetically modified crops has grown exponentially over the past two months. The initiative, I-522, is a sibling to California's 2012 Proposition 37: many of the major contributors in this race also contributed to committees for or against Proposition 37, and the recent spike in opposition dollars echoes last year when the opposition to Proposition 37 "bankrolled" a "media blitz" in the final stretch.
Data: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to the committees for and against Washington Initiative 522, from May 11, 2012 through October 2, 2013, and for and against California Proposition 37, from January 1, 2011 through November 5, 2012. Contributions data sources: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission; California Secretary of State.
- Committees opposing I-522 ($17.2M) have recieved 3 times more money than committees supporting I-522 ($5.3M).
- By Election Day 2012, committees opposing Prop. 37 ($46.0M) received 5 times more money than committees supporting Prop. 37 ($9.2M).
|
TOP 10 CONTRIBUTORS FOR AND AGAINST WASHINGTON I-522 (GMO Labeling) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
SUPPORT |
OPPOSE | ||
| OVERALL TOTAL: | $5,255,193 | OVERALL TOTAL: | $17,168,134 |
| 1. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps | $1,815,635 | 1. Grocery Manufacturers Association | $7,222,500 |
| 2. Mercola.com Health Resources LLC | $250,000 | 2. Monsanto | $4,834,484 |
| 3. PCC Natural Markets | $224,829 | 3. Dupont Pioneer | $3,420,159 |
| 4. Organic Consumer Fund/Assoc. | $211,628 | 4. Bayer CropScience |
$591,654 |
| 5. Presence Marketing, Inc. | $200,000 | 5. Dow AgroSciences LLC | $591,654 |
| 6. Nature's Path Foods USA, Inc. | $160,700 | 6. BASF Plant Science | $500,000 |
| 7. WashPIRG | $154,021 | 7. Washington Farm Bureau | $3,320 |
| 8. Food & Water Watch | $104,789 | 8. Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association | $1,450 |
| 9. Center for Food Safety Action Fund | $100,000 | 9. Northwest Food Processors Association | $1,100 |
| 10. Lundberg Family Farms | $55,000 | 10. Far West Agribusiness Association | $787 |
Image credit: Rosie Cima/MapLight
