Supporters and opponents of Idaho’s abortion rights initiative, Prop 1, have raised millions

Two Idaho political action committees, or PACS, on both sides of the proposed abortion rights initiative, Proposition 1, have spent $1.3 million combined, and raised nearly $7.5 million total. The ballot measure’s supporters have outpaced its opponents in both fundraising and spending so far. 

So far, the main PAC supporting the measure has out-raised the primary PAC that’s opposing the ballot measure — the measure’s supporters’ Idahoans United for Women and Families PAC had collected around $4.9 million as of Sept. 29 from more than 3,000 donors, while the measure’s opponents of the Too Extreme for Idaho PAC brought in about $2.5 million from 83, according to the Idaho Secretary of State campaign finance database. 

Just over $12,300 has been contributed from church-affiliated groups to both sides of the issue, according to an Idaho Capital Sun analysis of campaign finance data. 

In August, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador published an opinion that allows churches to spend money supporting or opposing ballot initiatives without disclosing their donors — as long as they don’t ask congregants to donate specifically about the measure, Boise State Public Radio reported. 

The majority of independent expenditures — money spent without coordination with a campaign to support or oppose the ballot measure — were made in opposition to the ballot measure. County Republican Party central committees made most of these expenditures.

The measure’s supporters have not yet raised as much as the PAC formed in 2023 to campaign for a ballot initiative that would’ve made Idaho’s primary elections non-partisan and use top-four ranked choice voting Idahoans for Open Primaries raised more than $5.6 million, most of which originated out of state. 

More than $4.4 million was spent on independent expenditures to support the ranked choice voting initiative, and around $553,000 was spent in opposition, according to the Secretary of State data dashboard. That measure failed to pass, with nearly 70% of voters voting against it, the Sun previously reported. 

PAC opposing Prop 1 raises more than $2.5 million 

The PAC Too Extreme for Idaho opposes the voter initiative. 

The committee, chaired by Katherine Heffner, has raised around $2.5 million and spent nearly $169,000. Nearly all of the money was contributed by Idaho individuals or companies, with $5,100 coming from out of state. 

Its top donors are Angela and James Harrison of Garden City, who have contributed $1 million total. The Harrisons co-founded a charitable foundation, Angels Among Us, and helped establish Idaho’s first Catholic radio station, Salt & Light. 

Dorothy Rebholtz, widow of the late Agri Beef Co co-founder Robert Rebholtz Sr., contributed another $300,000 to the Too Extreme for Idaho PAC. 

Other anti-abortion committees, the Right to Life of Idaho PAC and ID Family PAC, contributed a total of $71,561 to Too Extreme. 

Groups attached to Catholic organizations have contributed $7,161 to the PAC, campaign finance reporting shows. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise contributed $2,000, and Catholic fraternal groups, called Knights of Columbus Councils, from around the state contributed the rest.  

Most of the PAC’s spending has gone toward surveys and polls, totalling $94,142.The group has also spent nearly $52,500 on broadcast and other types of advertising, including production and preparation of advertising, according to campaign finance data. 

PAC supporting Prop 1 brings in nearly $5 million 

The Idahoans United for Women and Families PAC, formed by the group that gathered signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot and wrote the initiative, has brought in around $4.9 million, campaign finance data shows as of Sept. 29. 

Idahoans United was created in 2024 to explore a ballot initiative to restore and protect access to abortion and reproductive healthcare, after members expressed frustration that legislators would not add an exception to Idaho’s strict abortion ban to protect the health of the mother, the Idaho Capital Sun reported at the time.  

The PAC, chaired by the Meridian OB-GYN Becky Uranga, has spent more than $1.1 million. 

The biggest contributor, donating $650,000 to the Idahoans United PAC, is the D.C.-based Government That Works PAC, which has contributed to races nationwide. The national PAC is the top donor to a PAC supporting the Texas U.S. Senate candidate, Democrat James Talarico, the Texas Tribune reported. 

Ketchum resident Jill Grossman, founder of a foundation that supports nonprofits in Idaho and the San Francisco Bay Area, contributed $254,000 to the Idaho PAC. 

McCall residents Kristine and Jeff Stoddard, who own real estate and construction companies, provided $252,000 to the committee. Minnesota billionaire heiress and equestrian Gwendolyn Sontheim and billionaire businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg each contributed $250,000. 

Most of the money, or about $3.9 million, came from individual people, while the remaining $1 million came from companies, according to the data. 

In total, $3.2 million of the contributions originated from Idaho individuals and organizations, and $1.7 million came from out-of-state. 

Just over $5,100 came from three church-affiliated groups: Northwest Intermountain Synod, a Lutheran church in Spokane; the Boise Jewish Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel’s Social Action Team; and Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. 

The PAC has spent the most money for management services to Campaign Associates LLC, totalling $631,504.75. The LLC is an entity formed in 2025 by Idahoan’s United’s lead organizer Melanie Folwell to house payroll for the organization’s staff, Folwell told the Idaho Capital Sun. 

The committee has also spent nearly $155,000 on broadcast and other types of advertising, such as yard signs. 

Groups independently spend more than $29,000 to oppose measure

As of Sep. 30, groups and individuals reported $29,142.79 in total on advertising, brochures, yard signs and more to oppose the measure.

However, there may be more expenditures both for and against the initiative that were not captured in this analysis, because the groups enter the name of the measure when reporting spending, and there were inconsistent entries in the state campaign reporting database — for example some people wrote “Proposition 1,” and others used its title “Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act.”

Republican Party central committees in Ada, Blaine, Bonner and Bonneville counties have reported spending over $9,000 to oppose the measure. The Idaho GOP has been a vocal opponent of the measure. 

In a July press release announcing a statewide effort to oppose the initiative, party leaders wrote that Prop 1 “directly attacks Idaho’s pro-life pro-family values by legalizing abortion in Idaho.” 

The Citizens Alliance of Idaho, a PAC that supports hardline conservative candidates, has also spent nearly $8,300. Moscow-based Forged Construction spent around $4,500. 

Idaho state Sen. Brandon Shippy, R-New Plymouth, also reported spending $1,000 on “preparation and production of advertising” to oppose the measure. 

Idaho Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates reported spending about $250 to support the measure.