The groups campaigning against the creation of a nonprofit, consumer-owned utility company outspent supporters by a 32-to-1 margin on the way to securing 70% of the statewide vote on Nov. 7.
Combined, two ballot question committees funded almost entirely by the state’s two largest electrical companies, Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power, spent nearly $39 million to oppose Question 3. That translates to $136.20 per vote, compared to the $9.76 spent per vote by advocate Our Power, which spent a total of $1.2 million on the campaign.
Question 3 would have created Pine Tree Power Co., a nonprofit company that would have been overseen by an elected board, to take over the electrical infrastructure of CMP and Versant. But voters shot down the proposal by a more than 2-to-1 margin, 283,401 to 122,961.
Observers had predicted the battle for the future of Maine’s electrical companies would be one of the most – if not the most – expensive referendums in state history, including the $90 million spent in the 2021 fight over CMP’s proposed New England Clean Energy Connect corridor. But the spending fell short of expectations as proponents failed to raise enough money to compete against the well-funded private companies.
According to post-election finance reports filed Tuesday, Maine Affordable Energy and Maine Energy Progress, the ballot committees funded by CMP and Versant, respectively, raised and spent relatively small amounts of money in the closing days of the campaign. The 42-day, post-election reports cover activity from Oct. 25 to Dec. 12.
Maine Energy Progress didn’t raise any additional money during the final reporting period. Maine Affordable Energy raised only $130,500, including $80,000 from the Edison Electric Institute, an association representing U.S. investor-owned electrical companies.
Edison Electric Institute also donated $80,000 on Oct. 25 to a group called No Blank Checks, which then donated $50,000 to Maine Affordable Energy on Nov. 16. No Blank Checks was supporting a related ballot initiative to require statewide voter approval for borrowing more than $1 billion to acquire the assets of electrical companies. The measure was a backstop in the event Question 3 prevailed.
Maine Affordable Energy spent nearly $494,000, but much of it was after the election and went to consultants, including $48,500 to Sea Salt Consulting LLC, of Portland, for voter outreach services and digital consulting. Records with the state list a partner at the Pierce Atwood law firm as the manager. The company’s website is private and cannot be publicly accessed.
Maine Affordable Energy also lists more than $158,000 in donations to itself – $50,000 on Dec. 7 and $108,868 on Dec. 11.
Willy Ritch, who ran both the Maine Affordable Energy and No Blank Checks committees, said the remaining campaign funds were transferred to a new nonprofit, called the Maine Affordable Energy Coalition, so the ballot committee could be officially shut down.
Meanwhile, Our Power ended the campaign in support of the consumer owned utility with a negative balance of nearly $8,640. The campaign raised $123,260 during the reporting period and spent $176,635, with at least $100,000 going toward digital ads, $11,400 going to texting services and $1,400 on robocalls.
The campaign also received in-kind donations from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. The national nonprofit, which works to stem the influence of corporations and has offices in Portland, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., donated two educational mailers with a total value of $80,000.
Lopsided spending by proponents also lined up with a lopsided result in favor of Question 4, which proposed giving car owners and independent mechanics access to the advanced technology and information needed to fix modern vehicles.
The Automotive Right to Repair committee spent about $4.8 million on its way to winning 84% of the vote, 341,574 to 63,208. That’s $13.76 per vote. Opponents spent about $1.71 per vote, for a total of $108,000.
Financial activity by both committees dried up in the closing days of the campaign, suggesting each side saw the writing on the wall. Neither campaign raised any additional money during the final reporting period.
Proponents spent about $108,000 during the period, mostly on legal, media and political consultants and “grassroots outreach,” while the only expenditure listed for opponents was $3,641 in legal sees to Pierce Atwood.
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