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Screenshot from a Safe Roads Yes commercial promoting Proposal 1 on Michigan's May 5 ballot.
LANSING, MI -- The Safe Roads Yes campaign has raised more than $8 million to promote Michigan Proposal 1 ahead of the May 5 election, according to new campaign finance reports.
The "yes" campaign on Friday reported $4.9 million in contributions for the period, which ran from February 11 through April 19. The group has so far tallied another $543,000 during the ongoing late reporting period.
To date, the Safe Roads Yes committee has raised nearly $8.7 million for the ballot measure, which is strongly supported by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. The campaign has spent $7.2 million so far, mostly on television ads.
More than half of the contributions to Safe Roads Yes have come from the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, which represents construction companies across the state, including road and bridge builders.
At least three campaign committees are actively fighting Proposal 1, but they are likely to be significantly out-raised and outspent.
The most prominent opposition group, the Coalition Against Higher Taxes and Special Interest Deals, reported raising $129,828 to date, with most of the money coming from chairman Paul Mitchell, a retired businessman from the Saginaw area.
Concerned Taxpayers of Michigan, a group headed by Adam De Angeli and former state Rep. Tom McMillin, reported raising roughly $12,000 so far this election cycle.
Citizens Against Middle Class Tax Increases, a committee started by political consultant John Yob, has raised roughly $11,000, mostly from Yob himself.
See the top contributors to each committee below. Figures are for the election cycle as a whole. Total contributions to date are in parenthesis.
SAFE ROADS YES! ($8.7 million)
COALITION AGAINST HIGHER TAXES AND SPECIAL INTEREST DEALS ($129,828)
CONCERNED TAXPAYERS OF MICHIGAN ($12,092)
CITIZENS AGAINST MIDDLE CLASS TAX INCREASES ($10,880)
Proposal 1 would increase the Michigan sales tax from six percent to seven percent but exempt fuel. It would trigger a series of 10 other laws to create new and higher wholesale fuel taxes, eliminate registration fee discounts and more.
The May 5 ballot measure is projected to eventually generate $1.25 billion a year in new revenue for state and local road agencies , along with another $600 million a year for schools, cities, mass transit and the state general fund.
Editor's note: This post was updated include revised reports and top donors from previous periods. Additional late donations will not be included here.
Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.