A new report, “Big Tobacco Wins Tax Battles,” released concurrently with “State of Tobacco Control 2013” from the National Institute on Money in State Politics finds that candidates running for re-election in the 2012 elec- tion cycle were flush with cash from the tobacco industry. The industry spent over $53 million total on candidates for state office, political parties and to oppose ballot measures, including over $46 million to defeat a $ cigarette tax increase on the ballot in California. i According to the Center for Respon- sive Politics, the tobacco industry spent more than $ million on support- ing federal candidates. .
