The Tobacco Industry's Role in the 2012 State Elections
The tobacco industry contributed nearly $54 million to state-level candidates, political parties, and ballot measure campaigns leading up to the 2012 elections, according to a report published by the National Institute on Money in State Politics. The report, Big Tobacco Wins Tax Battles, found that the industry's contributions were successful: $47.2 million was spent opposing ballot measures that would have increased tobacco taxes in California and Missouri; both were defeated. The findings are cited in the American Lung Association's State of Tobacco Control 2013. The National Institute on Money in State Politics is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, and a Rockefeller Brothers Fund grantee.