Some anti-lockdown protests are reportedly being organized by groups funded by Republican mega-donors

(Image credit: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

The protests against coronavirus lockdowns in some states are receiving a boost from groups that are funded by big-time Republican donors, The Washington Post reports.

An initiative called the Convention of States is one of a few conservative activists groups that are helping the mostly small protests gain visibility and, in some cases, even coordinating them. The Convention of States launched in 2015 with backing from billionaire hedge fund manager Robert Mercer's family foundation, and also received support from Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli and Housing Secretary Ben Carson. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has also previously endorsed the group.

The Convention of States was originally focused on curtailing federal power, the Post reports, and there's no evidence its past donors have anything to do with the current efforts to amplify the protests (which are targeting state governments, as opposed to Washington.) But the involvement of such groups, the Post notes, highlights that the demonstrations, largely viewed as grassroots, do have ties to more well-established, well-financed movements. Read more at The Washington Post.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.