The bigger spender tends to win in politics, but a recent exception to this money-in-politics rule can be found in Alabama’s move to almost entirely ban abortion.

A key step in the state’s trek toward its new anti-abortion law came in November, when Alabama voters approved an anti-abortion “Amendment 2” to the state’s constitution.

The new law in Alabama, where Republicans control the legislature and the governor’s mansion, makes performing abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony. It includes an exception for when a mother’s health is at serious risk, but has no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. It stands out as the country’s most restrictive amid other new limits on abortion enacted in several states.

In the fundraising and spending to sway voters on the amendment, political action committees opposing the measure lost on Election Day even while enjoying a roughly 100-to-1 money advantage, according to disclosures compiled by FollowTheMoney.org, a website run by the nonpartisan National Institute on Money in Politics.

The PACs against Amendment 2 attracted about $758,000 in contributions, the disclosures show. The donations came from Planned Parenthood branches, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and individuals, and the PACs involved were Alabama For Healthy Families and Alabama Students Voting No On Amendment 2. A separate disclosure shows Alabama For Healthy Families spent $931,000 on ads. One ad from the PAC said the amendment “would open the door to ban abortion, including in cases of rape.”

Meanwhile, a PAC supporting the anti-abortion amendment — Alliance For A Pro-Life Alabama — received only about $8,000, according to FollowTheMoney.org’s data.

It makes sense that a big money advantage wasn’t enough for the PACs supporting abortion rights to get a win in this conservative state, according to Bill Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama.

“That is very logical because the people who are sympathetic toward abortion have their work cut out for them, because they know that most Alabamians simply do not like the idea of terminating a pregnancy through abortion,” he told MarketWatch.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to advocate for an anti-abortion measure in Alabama, because “the sentiment is already strongly against abortion,” Stewart also said. “You’d have to spend a lot more money if you were trying to liberalize abortion laws.”

Some 59% of Alabama voters backed “Amendment 2,” changing the state’s constitution to say it recognizes unborn children’s rights and doesn’t protect the right to abortion. The new anti-abortion law’s backers then repeatedly cited the amendment while advocating for their measure this year, saying that they were, for example, “putting statute to Amendment 2.”

The amendment “was a harbinger of things to come,” said Barbara Ann Luttrell, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Southeast, which works in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. When asked about losing despite a financial edge, she said the 41% voting “No” on Amendment 2 represented the second-best result on the progressive side on that Election Day in Alabama, meaning that result outperformed nearly all other progressive issues or candidates on the ballot there. “That may not sound like much,” but Alabama is “one of the most vehemently anti-woman states,” she told MarketWatch in an email. She also said the amendment was “written in a way that was intentionally confusing and misleading.”

To be sure, the push for Amendment 2 got boosts from forces beyond just the Alliance For A Pro-Life Alabama, with top Republicans endorsing the measure and a group called Alabama Citizens for Life putting out a radio ad in support of it. Many people throughout the state “just wanted to volunteer help, time and a lot of different things,” said Cole Wagner, the Alliance For A Pro-Life Alabama’s executive director. The other side “could have spent $2 million, $3 million, $4 million and it’s not going to change the beliefs that we hold true. My faith has a lot to do with the reason that I support pro-life efforts,” he said.

While the near-total ban is due to take effect in November, it’s facing legal challenges — with a lawsuit filed Friday by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU — and might end up before the Supreme Court. The law’s backers hope to go before the newly majority conservative high court, in order to overturn 1973’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

Read more:Trump distances himself from Alabama’s anti-abortion law, tells activists to stay united

And:Ginsburg’s hospitalization puts fresh focus on Trump’s ability to shape Supreme Court

Other money moves

Corporate America’s contributions to anti-abortion politicians have drawn fresh scrutiny in the wake of the new restrictions in several states.

Five well-known companies have made sizable donations over the years to top Alabama Republicans who are responsible for the state’s new law, according to a recent report from left-leaning political newsletter Popular Information, which analyzed campaign-finance disclosures. The report said AT&T T, +0.61% has given a total of about $130,000 to Gov. Kay Ivey, Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter, House Speaker Mac McCutcheon and Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed; Eli Lilly LLY, -0.66% has contributed $35,000 to Ivey, McCutcheon and Reed; Coca-Cola KO, +1.01% has donated $12,500 to Ivey and Ainsworth; Walmart WMT, +0.52% has donated $7,000 to Ledbetter, McCutcheon and Reed; and Pfizer PFE, -0.66% has shelled out $5,500 to Ivey and Reed.

Reactions to the report included calls for boycotts of the companies. On the other hand, critics of the report said the companies primarily may have been backing business-friendly politicians, and they also have contributed to other candidates. Stewart, the political science professor, sees limited blowback in Alabama itself over such corporate contributions. Alabamians expect companies will “carry the load” when it comes to funding political campaigns as many don’t contribute themselves, and they “assume that corporate contributions would tend to support conservative causes,” he said.

Related:Nearly half of women who have abortions live below the poverty level

Also read:Supreme Court upholds Indiana law on disposal of aborted fetal remains

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood and other abortion-rights organizations have reported a surge in donations from their galvanized base following the new laws in Alabama, Georgia and other states.

In addition, some celebrities have called for boycotts of those states, and several Hollywood figures have announced they will pull TV and movie productions out of Georgia. Stewart believes there is apprehension in his state over such developments.

“Some Alabama leaders — even though they may personally be against abortion — they don’t want to rock the boat as far as the state’s economic development is concerned,” he said. “They’d hate to see someone call for a boycott of Alabama.”

Now read:Netflix to ‘rethink’ filming in Georgia if abortion law goes into effect

This report was first published on May 28, 2019.