Group Spent $160K To Put Gay Marriage To Md. Vote
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- A campaign finance report shows that opponents of Maryland's same-sex marriage law spent more than $160,000 to force a referendum on the issue this November.
The Herald-Mail newspaper of Hagerstown reported in Friday's edition that the Maryland Marriage Alliance accepted more than $85,000 in monetary contributions this year.
They included donations from at least five other states.
The group also accepted in-kind contributions of more than $60,000. Those included nearly $49,000 from the Washington-based National Organization for Marriage.
The group's petition drive was run in part by MdPetitions.com, a group led by Republican state Delegate Neil Parrott of Washington County.
Parrott says the alliance contracted with MdPetitions to send out mailings and review documents.
The report shows that the alliance owes MdPetitions nearly $75,000.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
