CodePink leader adds muscle to well-funded fight to ban restaurant delicacy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — CodePink D.C. Coordinator Olivia DiNucci last month posted a TikTok video of herself in a home supporting an issue far afield from her usual battles supporting the Communist Party of Cuba and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This time, she was backing a local ballot measure, "Initiative 86," introduced in early February in the D.C. City Council to ban foie gras, a fine-dining delicacy made from duck liver, and other products made from birds. D.C. residents will vote on the measure on election day with early voting already started.

The campaign presents itself as a grassroots effort to advance animal welfare, but public financial filings reveal a far more heavily funded operation. A national animal-rights network has supplied hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial support, underwriting paid petition circulators, political consultants, staff salaries and advertising in a campaign that could reshape Washingtons restaurant industry. Far from a shoestring local initiative, the effort has reported nearly half a million dollars in contributions and expenditures, much of it backed by an organization that openly describes local ballot measures as stepping stones toward a broader "pro-animal future."

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A Fox News Digital investigation of campaign-finance records, nonprofit filings and the groups own organizing documents traces the people, money and long-term strategy behind Initiative 86 and raises questions about how a fight over one luxury menu item became part of a much larger political campaign over what Americans eat.

Pro-Animal Future, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit based in Portland, Ore., launched the campaign, nicknamed I-86, in D.C. and says its local ballot efforts are part of a broader push to change public attitudes toward common animal agricultural practices. Its IRS filing also lists its name as Pro-Animal DC.

In seven financial reports filed with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance, Pro-Animal DC provides a window into a local political campaigns operational, financial and logistical infrastructure.

According to its latest filings, Pro-Animal DC collected a whopping $474,190.62 between Sept. 23, 2025, and Oct. 26, 2026, for the local campaign, with Pro-Animal Future as its major backer, providing it $386,435.77.

Its largest expense is stipends totaling $126,780.36, or about one-quarter of the campaigns expenses, to a paid professional protest organizer: Cady Witt, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as "community impact coordinator" at "DC Voters for Animals." Witt is also listed as the treasurer of Pro-Animal DC in its campaign reports.

Pro-Animal DC reported another $89,224.00, or about 20% of its expenses, for 293 payments to 64 people described as "consultant - circulator" from September 2025 through October 26, 2026. They got an average payment of $1,394.13 per person.

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