Equality Opposition Outspent, Outvoted By Record-Breaking Landslide In Kalamazoo

Total spending in the fight for a non-discrimination ordinance in Kalamazoo, Mich., last month amounted to approximately $458,000 in cash and in-kind contributions.

Proponents of the ordinance, which passed by a vote of 7,671 to 4,731, raised $402,035 according to campaign finance records reported by the Kalamazoo Gazette. This, when compared to the $55,209 raised by opponents, represents a record-breaking effort in which LGBT rights opponents were vastly outspent.

The largest single contributor to One Kalamazoo, the group that sought to pass the ordinance, which protects LGBT people against discrimination, was philanthropist Jon Stryker, who gave $112,800. His contributions represented about $1 of every $3 raised in cash by One Kalamazoo.

The campaigns together set a spending record for a single ballot proposition in a Kalamazoo County election, according to the Gazette.