Allen Spends $1 Million On Stadium Campaign

If money talks, prospective Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen must be screaming at the Legislature.

In the past two months, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft has spent $1 million on his campaign to persuade skeptical lawmakers to approve a financing plan for a new football stadium, according to finance reports filed with the state in recent days.

Allen has spent $560,000 on two television ad blitzes, $313,000 on consultants and public relations and $152,000 on a grass-roots effort to rally public support.

Allen has promised to give Washington voters the final say on the $425 million project in June, but that won’t happen unless a standoff in the House is resolved soon. A majority of the 98 House members oppose a proposed tax on licensed sporting goods that would provide a significant chunk of the public’s $325 million share.