RELATED: Ohio Issue 2 fails; confusion blamed
Ohioans Against the Deceptive Rx Ballot Issue raised and spent a total of nearly $57 million. The campaign didn’t bring in any new money after the pre-election campaign finance filing deadline, but spent $7.3 million it had on hand in the final days before the polls.
The total fell short of projections by Issue 2 supporters that the combined spending would top $90 million.
RELATED: Issue 2 trouncing won’t end debate over high drug prices
Ohio Taxpayers for Lower Drug Prices, supporters of the issue that would have capped what the state of Ohio pays for prescription drugs at the lowest price paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, raised and spent and additional $1.5 million during the final days of the campaign.
In total, the Yes on 2 campaign spent about $17.5 million.
The ballot issue was defeated by voters by a margin of 79 to 21 percent.
The previous record for spending on a ballot issue was just shy of $73 million spent during the 2009 battle over casinos in Ohio. The winning side of that issue outspent opponents $47.2 million to $25.7 million.
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