Statewide initiatives on fall ballot has attracted millions in spending. Here are the top donors

When Washington voters go to the polls this November, they will make their voices heard on four ballot initiatives. Millions of dollars have poured in for and against these measures regarding state taxation and climate policy.

To get them on the ballot millions of signatures were gathered by Let’s Go Washington, a conservative political action committee lead by wealthy hedge fund manager Brian Heywood.

In 2024, Let’s Go Washington has raised almost $6.3 million to advocate for passage of their four referendums and spent $4.9 million. While the Washington Public Disclosure Commission does require committees to specify which initiatives campaign funds were spent on, Let’s Go Washington divided evenly among the four referendums for nearly every expenditure report.

While Heywood donated upwards of $2.7 million in previous years as part of the signature gathering process, he has donated little of his own money this year to get the initiatives over the finish line. According to PDC filings, Heywood has donated about $13,700 to Let’s Go Washington so far this year.

Here are some of the other prominent donors to Let’s Go Washington in 2024:

• $1.05 million – Main Street Matters to Washington.
• $550,000 – Lawrence Hughes, CipherTrust co-founder, and wife Mary Ellen Hughes.
• $500,000 – BIAW Member Services.
• $464,021 – Steve Gordon, Gordon Trucking.
• $350,000 – Kemper Holdings.
• $200,000 – Bruce McCaw, McCaw Cellular.
• $200,000 – Osprey Investors.
• $102,500 – Robert Parks, TRF Pacific co-founder.
• $100,000 – Larry Stone, Spokane developer.
• $100,000 – Ron Cohn, Seattle restaurateur.
• $100,000 – Gordon Lyon NMAP Software founder.
• $100,000 – George Rowley.
• $100,000 – George Petrie, Goodman Real Estate CEO.

Spokesman-Review Publisher and Cowles Company President Stacey Cowles and wife Anne Cowles together have donated $26,000 to Let’s Go Washington.

Here are the four initiatives and who is funding opposition to them.

I-2117

Of the four initiatives on the ballot, the attempt to repeal the state’s Climate Commitment Act has raised the most funds.

As of Friday the committee opposing the referendum has raised over $13 million, more than double Let’s Go Washington has raised to advocate for all four of the initiatives.

The law caps the amount of carbon the state can emit each year. Supporters of the cap-and-trade system argue the law is needed to curb climate change in the state and meet carbon reduction targets. Those attempting to repeal the law cast it as a gas tax hurting consumers.

The biggest donors of the campaign against I-2117 are associated with the Microsoft Corporation, including its billionaire founder Bill Gates. Microsoft and individuals associated with the company have donated $4.7 million of the campaign’s $13.2 million total.

So far this year the committee has spent nearly $3.5 million in its effort to defeat I-2117 and maintain the state’s Climate Commitment Act

Here are some of the prominent donors to the “No on 2117” committee:

• $2.5 million – Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, and wife Connie Ballmer.
• $1.1 million – The Nature Conservancy.
• $1 million – Bill Gates, Microsoft founder.
• $1 million – The Microsoft Corporation.
• $1 million – Craig McKibben, co-founder of software company WRQ, and wife Sarah Merner.
• $1 million – Christ Stolte, Tableau Software co-founder.
• $1 million – League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund.
• $600,000 – Puyallup Tribe of Indians.
• $500,000 – Far Star Action Fund.
• $350,000 – David Thatcher, venture capitalist.
• $250,000 – Samantha Holloway, Seattle Krakens Ice Hockey co-owner and co-chair.
• $250,000 – Jabe Blumenthal, former Microsoft employee and designer of Excel.
• $150,000 – Washington Federation of State Employees.
• $150,000 – REI Co-op.
• $100,000 – Joseph Gleberman, Pritzker Organization CEO.
• $100,000 – Rich Barton, former Zillow CEO, and wife Sara Barton.
• $100,000 – Brian Arbogast, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

I-2124

This initiative would give residents the ability to opt out of the state’s long-term care insurance. Passed in 2019, the WA Cares program provides $36,000 to those in need of long-term care. To receive this one-time benefit, Washington workers are required to pay a 0.58% payroll tax.

If passed, Initiative 2124 would make paying into the system and receiving the benefit optional. Referendum opponents argue such optionality would make the program unworkable, while proponents argue the government should not force workers into the program if they do not want the insurance.

The campaign against I-2124 has raised $4.1 million so far. The vast majority of these funds have been donated by the SEIU union, which in part represents long-term care workers. The union has donated $3.5 million to defeat I-2124.

“I-2124 will hurt working women and working class families by eliminating Washington’s long-term care insurance program. It takes support away from family caregivers who are helping loved ones with a disability, or who are sick or aging, increases out -of -pocket expenses, and throws us back into the costly insurance market,” the SEIU endorsement reads on this ballot measure.

Other prominent donors include $85,000 from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and $36,200 from the AARP.

So far the “No on 2124” campaign has spent nearly $600,000 on the campaign.

I-2109

This initiative would repeal the state’s capital gains tax. Approved in 2021, the law places a 7% tax on the gains over $250,000 per person from the sale of certain investments like stocks, bonds or some types of businesses, with exemptions for certain properties and retirement accounts.

While the tax only impacts a small number of Washingtonians, proponents of the initiative argue it opens the door to a statewide income tax. Opponents of the repeal argue the tax funds vital services like education, child care and school construction.

The “No on 2109” committee has raised $3.4 million so far in the campaign. Much of those funds come from unions related to schools and their workers like the National Education Association, Washington Education Association, Service Employees International Union and Washington Federation of State Employees.

The campaign against the initiative has spent about $740,000 so far.

Here are some of their prominent donors:

• $500,000 – National Education Association.
• $500,000 – Washington Federation of State Employees.
• $500,000 – Nicolas Hanauer, Second Avenue Partners venture capitalist.
• $448,071 – Washington Education Association.
• $431,686 – SEIU.
• $175,000 – Lisa Mennet, child psychologist and Perigee Fund founder.
• $113,032 – Civic Ventures.
• $101,385 – Invest in Washington Now.
• $51,335 – FUSE Washington.

I-2066

The initiative related to Washington’s transition away from natural gas has so far had the least attention from those who oppose it of all the initiatives on the ballot this fall.

The “No on 2066” committee has only raised a little over $100,000 and spent around $35,000 as of Friday. Donors to the campaign include $34,000 from Rewiring America Incorporated, $25,000 from WA Conservation Voters and $15,000 from Brian Jacobson of Valve Software.

If passed, I-2066 would repeal portions of legislation signed into law earlier this year by Gov. Jay Inslee that seeks to expedite the transition from natural gas for large combination utilities.