The campaign to defeat Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative, only has 30,000 donors out of an estimated 1 million LGBT Californians, the campaign's director said Tuesday, October 14. Many of those contributors are straight allies.

Patrick Guerriero, who was brought in to help run the No on 8 campaign and is taking a leave from his job at the Gill Action Fund, reiterated during a conference call with LGBT media outlets the need for donations, saying that they must raise $1 million a day.

"We're the underdogs," he said.

While Guerriero said that "close to $1 million a day" has been raised since last week, figures reported on Election Track show that the various No on 8 groups and political action committees have raised far less on a daily basis.

The No on 8 campaign later clarified that Guerriero was including actual donations and pledges in his figure.

"In the last five days, we have received donations or pledges totaling between $500,000 and $1 million," a No on 8 spokeswoman said late Tuesday.

On its Web site, ProtectMarriage.com, the main group backing Prop 8, claims it has more than 57,000 donors. As of Tuesday, ProtectMarriage.com had raised just over $26 million, according to data filed with the secretary of state's office.

Guerriero said that the No on 8 campaign was hoping to cross the $20 million mark by Wednesday and to at least match their opponents' fundraising totals by November. He said they are counting on LGBT Californians to reach their goal.

"We know that the capacity to give is huge," Guerriero added. "To put it as boldly as possible, if every single LGBT adult would, over the next couple days, make a donation to this campaign, we would win, and if they don't, we would lose," Guerriero said.

No on 8 also needs more volunteers, and people are encouraged to talk to other Californians they know about the importance of defeating the proposition, campaign officials said.

"I think folks got a little lazy as a result of polls that were very old and taken before the other side went on air," Guerriero said Tuesday of the campaign's trouble in attracting donors.

In an interview with the Bay Area Reporter on Thursday, October 9, Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California - a key member of the No on 8 coalition - also cited complacency in the community as a problem, but said, "Over the last two days we've seen a significant increase in fundraising" and that the campaign's San Francisco headquarters the previous night had been packed with volunteers.

"There wasn't any room in here," Kors said.

Guerriero said, "By my guess, when push comes to shove, this thing ultimately could be a dead heat," but if every LGBT adult contributes, "We have a roadmap to win."

Daily figures from Election Track show that No on 8 raised a total of $97,547 on Monday; $71,500 on Sunday, and $175,008 on Saturday, which was National Coming Out Day.

Guerriero said there's been "an amazing, amazing week of generosity and giving to the campaign," but, "the challenge is we literally need to keep that pace up every day" between now and the election.

ProtectMarriage raised only about $630,000 since the beginning of the month, according to the secretary of state's data. The Election Track data showed it raised $87,750 Monday, $7,000 Sunday, and $26,000 Saturday. The money raised by Prop 8's backers has allowed them more time on the air, both on TV and radio. Therefore, Guerriero said it is crucial for No on 8 to also get its ads in front of voters.

"Getting the resources to be on TV and radio and match our opponents in an air war is the path to victory," Guerriero said. "It's that black and white."

He said that when voters see and hear No on 8's ads and the Yes on 8 ads, "we win by four or five points," but "when voters only hear or see our opponents' ads, we lose by double digits." He said the No on 8 ads are working, but "we need to be in more places and have greater penetration."

In an effort to reach that goal, No on 8 unveiled its fourth ad Wednesday. The commercial, titled "Unfair," shows newspaper editorials against Prop 8 such as the Los Angeles Times , and La Opinion, as well as organizations, including the California Teachers Association. Voters are told, "Regardless of how you feel about marriage, it's wrong to treat people differently under the law. No on 8. Unfair. Unnecessary. And wrong."

During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Guerriero said Yes on 8's ads are "full of lies and misstatements," and that the No on 8 campaign "felt it was time to hit back and hit back hard. Enough is enough, really."

Lorri Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and a member of the No on 8 executive committee, said in the conference call that "for the first time, we're competitive on television." She said the campaign has a statewide media buy that matches backers of the measure.

On Tuesday, Guerriero said backers of Prop 8, which would eliminate same-sex couples' right to marry in California, have called the battle over the measure "the Armageddon in the culture war."

"We've got to assume they're going to turn up the dial," he said.

Guerriero noted that members of the Mormon Church have poured millions of dollars into supporting Prop 8 so far.

"This will be the most significa

Mayor Gavin Newsom rushes into the Russ Building to attend a meeting of the No on Prop 8 Equality Business Council Tuesday in the offices of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. Photo: Rick Gerharter

nt fight the movement has ever had on a ballot," Guerriero said. He said that 25 years from now, "You really want to have an answer," when people ask, "What did you do?" to help defeat Prop 8.

Tuesday out lesbian Ellen DeGeneres, who has yet to donate money to the No on 8 coffers, appeared in an ad for the campaign where she pleads with voters to defeat Prop 8.

In the ad, DeGeneres says, "I got to do something this year I never thought I'd ever be able to do: I got married ... There are people out there raising millions of dollars to try and take that right away from me. You've seen their ads on TV. They're twisting the truth, and they're trying to scare you. I believe in fairness. I believe in compassion. I believe in equality for all people. Proposition 8 does not. Please, please, vote no on Prop. 8."

It is not known if the ad will air on TV; Guerriero declined to say that it would. Currently the viral message is on the No on 8 Web site (http://www.noonprop8.com) and several LGBT blogs.

DeGeneres, who hosts a popular daytime talk show, married her longtime partner Portia de Rossi in Southern California in August.

Dueling ads

In the face of polls that had shown voters rejecting Prop 8, No on 8 officials had warned against complacency for weeks. No on 8 was first on the air with an ad showing local married couple Sam and Julia Thoron asking voters not to take rights away from their gay daughter and other same-sex couples.

A week later, Yes on 8 launched a commercial featuring San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom shouting that same-sex marriages are going to happen "whether you like it or not!" A second ad made a false claim about schools being required to teach children about same-sex marriage.

The ads seemed to work. Last week, a SurveyUSA poll sponsored by CBS5 in San Francisco showed that 47 percent of likely voters statewide would support Prop 8, while 42 percent would oppose it.

The survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points noted, "polling on ballot measures in general is an inexact science, and polling on homosexuality in general is a tricky business. So, not too much should be made of the five points that separates 'Yes' and 'No.'"

However, that survey and an internal poll released by No on 8, which showed the measure's backers were four points ahead, prompted the campaign to send out urgent pleas for donations.

The campaign has also attempted to hit back with a TV ad denouncing Yes on 8's claims as "lies."

In addition, the Yes on 8 campaign has launched a Spanish-language ad, and the No on 8 campaign said they plan to have Spanish-language ads, too.

One of several unoffical PSAs from the group HomoTracker.org

Ads' mixed reviews

The first three No on 8 ads have generated mixed reactions among LGBT people, with some urging the campaign to hit harder with its messaging. The second No on 8 ad, which shows two women at a table discussing same-sex marriage after one admits her discomfort with the issue, is particularly irksome to some in the gay community.

"I find it discouraging that people are contributing money to put those ads on the air. They are not strong enough," said novelist Armistead Maupin. "I think the soft ad with the two women at the kitchen table is a parody of a tampon ad."

Performer Veronica Klaus also said the ads are not strong enough.

"I think they are awfully polite, maybe a little too painfully polite," she said. "People are stupid and easily persuaded by people who are polite bullies. We need to stick up for ourselves a little more in this fight and let them know they are taking away people's right to be human."

Kors said the kitchen table ad was designed for women who are conflicted or undecided on Prop 8.

Steve Adams, president of the Castro merchants group, said he liked the No on 8 ads so far, particularly the third one addressing the misinformation being spread by the backers of the ballot measure.

"It is right in their face about the lies they are spreading," said Adams. "All of the No on 8 ads are very good."

Sam Singer, who owns a public affairs and corporate communications firm, said the ad featuring the Thorons was effective because it made people who may not be engaged in the issue ask themselves why they should deny rights to other people's children.

Singer, who helped the city's zoo try to bolster its image after a tiger escaped its enclosure and killed a man last Christmas, said the ad was "one of the best political spots dealing with LGBT issues in my memory."

But Singer said the "real sense of love for one's child" was missing from the second No on 8 spot. However, he also called Yes on 8's use of a small girl in its second ad "unseemly." That ad shows a small girl carrying the book King and King and telling her horrified mother that she can marry a princess.

"I think using a child in a political ad really takes a lot of chutzpah" and the tactic could turn off voters, said Singer, who's against Prop 8.

Political consultant Jim Ross, who in 2003 managed Newsom's mayoral campaign, said the No on 8 ad denouncing Yes on 8's claims as lies will "blunt the momentum Yes on 8 was building."

However, Ross noted the challenge for No on 8 is that they're asking people to vote "yes" on marriage, "but at the same time they're the 'No' side of the campaign."

Kors has said the campaign will tell voters that Prop 8 would eliminate people's rights, and Ross said that's the message that the campaign needs to get out.

Richard Laermer, CEO of RLM PR and author of Punk Marketing, has been disappointed by the ads of both the Yes and No campaigns. In the age of TiVo, unless the message is clear, people generally fast forward over commercials, ignore them, or both, he said.

 "It's almost as if [the ads] were done by people who don't know how to do ads," said Laermer, who's gay and has a partner.

Big-name donors

The No on 8 campaign's appeals for money appear to have worked in recent days.

The latest news on Wednesday was that Hollywood producer Stephen Bing is donating $500,000 to No on 8.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced this week he is giving $25,000 to No on 8. Late Tuesday, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom announced it was donating $25,000 to No on 8. The LGBT bar association's board voted to tap its reserve fund for the contribution.

Eric Jaye, a spokesman for Newsom, said the mayor's gubernatorial exploratory committee is contributing $15,000 to No on 8. In addition, the committee is working to raise another $10,000 this week in order to match the donation from Villaraigosa. Both politicians are expected to run for governor in 2010 and have been vocal supporters of LGBT rights.

In an e-mail to the B.A.R., Jaye said that Newsom has sent out a number of fundraising solicitations to his list of 15,000 donors. The mayor's attended, and been a guest of honor at, numerous No on 8 fundraisers, including events in San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles.

"Mayor Newsom thinks Mayor Villaraigosa's donation is a great contribution to this cause - and we are taking up his challenge!" Jaye wrote, adding that Newsom hopes other elected officials will also donate.

Newsom, who has been criticized for his strong support of same-sex marriage - starting with his move to allow couples to marry over four years ago, appears to be trying to keep a low profile in relation to Prop 8 as Election Day draws closer.

On Tuesday, Newsom appeared at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce for a Prop 8 campaign update that was closed to the press. Outside the building, before the event, a Newsom staffer told the B.A.R. that the mayor was on a tight schedule and wouldn't have time to answer questions.

The staffer noted a story in Tuesday's San Francisco Chronicle that called Newsom a "campaign tool" for supporters of Prop 8. Minutes later, Newsom rushed out of his SUV and into the building, looking grim.

Besides using Newsom in its first ad, the Yes on 8 campaign has also decried Newsom marrying a lesbian couple Friday, October 10, as the first-grade students of one of the women waited to greet the couple outside. The students had made a parent-approved field trip to City Hall for the event to surprise their teacher.

Guerriero said people with the capacity to contribute large amounts of money have been "asked and asked again," and he's hopeful that since the campaign has a strong case to make and a strategy to win, there should be some breakthroughs in the next several days.

But campaign officials say people with tighter budgets shouldn't wait for wealthy donors to do all the work. Guerriero said he's been impressed with smaller donors giving up dinners and vacations, as well as college students "giving up a couple of cold beers."

Asked why, so far, television ads have not featured same-sex couples, Guerrero said the campaign just sent out a direct mail piece across the state with a picture of a lesbian woman who tells her story, letting voters know that "she's on the ballot, she's your neighbor," Guerriero said.

He said the message of LGBT people is "obviously critical to winning."

"Are people willing to designate their gay and lesbian neighbors and friends and colleagues as second-class citizens?" Guerriero said.

On leave

On leave from the Gill Action Fund, Guerriero said he joined the No on 8 campaign a couple weeks ago. He said that he felt privileged that when the No on 8 campaign started falling increasingly behind the measure's supporters, the campaign approached him to "ramp up the effort" to defeat the measure.

Kors said that as campaign director, Guerriero, who previously served as president of the Log Cabin Republicans, is coordinating the different pieces of the campaign and making sure that each one knows what the other's doing, and also helping with fundraising.

Guerriero said that the Gill Action Fund, which funnels campaign contributions to LGBT candidates and causes across the country, has already given more than $350,000 to No on 8.

Matthew S. Bajko contributed to this report.