Clean Virginia plans to spend $125K against Ayala after Dominion donation, Jones calls on Herring to release donor funding, plus more from VA politics
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Clean Virginia plans to spend $125K against Ayala after Dominion donation
A Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor reported two $50,000 donations from Dominion Energy in the final weeks leading up to the Democratic primary election after previously pledging to not accept their money.
Del. Hala Ayala, like many Democrats in recent years, agreed to the Clean Virginia pledge to not accept money from Dominion in both 2019 and 2021. Now she is facing backlash from Clean Virginia for accepting $100,000 in the final days of the race from the utility giant that has bankrolled Virginia politicians for decades.
“Del. Ayala’s actions are uniquely disappointing and deceptive – she has campaigned for statewide office on a promise to Virginians that she would hold polluting utility monopolies accountable and then accepted a massive contribution from Dominion Energy. That is not leadership — it is desperation,” said Clean Virginia’s Executive Director Brennan Gilmore.
In response to Ayala’s reversal on the pledge, Clean Virginia says they are launching a $125,000 digital ad campaign to “to ensure that voters across the Commonwealth are aware of this broken promise and the harmful effects of decades of Dominion’s legalized corruption on everyday Virginians.”
Ayala provided one statement Wednesday after the reports were made public. “Virginia voters need to know that I will always fight for Virginian families. Whether it was delivering on Medicaid expansion to give 500,000 Virginians access to affordable healthcare or protecting our drinking water from coal ash contamination, my decisions in elected office have always been based on what’s best for Virginia families, and as Lieutenant Governor, that’s exactly what I’ll keep doing.”
Sean Perryman, another candidate seeking the lieutenant governor nomination issued a sharp rebuke of the donation. “Delegate Ayala made a promise to voters that she would reject money from Dominion Energy,” Perryman said in a statement. “Not only is Ayala allowing her campaign to be bought by Dominion, her campaign didn’t reveal this fact until six days before the election, leaving little time for voters to know of her broken promise.”
Perryman continued to address the entire campaign finance system in Virginia that allows unlimited donations to politicians, unlike the federal laws that cap individual donations to candidates at $2,900 each federal election. “Now that we’ve seen the latest round of finance reports, that statement has shown to be even more true,” he said. “While some candidates take giant checks from special interests and wealthy donors, others are using their generational wealth to burn hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own cash. All of it is an attempt to purchase an election.”
There were over 540,000 votes cast in the Democratic primary the year after Trump was elected. Statewide campaigns are expecting a much lower turnout for this year’s primary due in part to Trump being out of office. Over 75,000 voters have already cast their ballots due to Virginia’s new early voting laws, meaning the Dominion news is irrelevant for a rather large portion of potential primary voters.
The other candidates in the race have not commented on the donation. Besides Ayala and Perryman, Del. Sam Rasoul, Norfolk City Councilor Andria McClellan, Del. Mark Levine, and Xavier Warren are vying for the nomination that will be decided in the June 8th primary.
Jay Jones for Attorney General Calls on Mark Herring and DAGA to Release Donors Funding Herring’s Primary Campaign
Jay Jones for Attorney General communications director Christian Slater released the following statement:
“DAGA and the Mark Herring campaign are citing legal technicalities and trying to distract voters to cover for their scheme to obscure Herring donors from public scrutiny. The fact is that Mark Herring is making a mockery of financial disclosure laws in a desperate attempt to hide the big money corporate donors who are funding his re-election campaign. The question for Mark Herring is simple: why are you so desperate to cover up the identities of your donors so voters can’t see them until after the election?
“We call on Mark Herring and the Democratic Attorneys General Association to show Virginians the donors funding Herring’s campaign through the DAGA PAC.”
DAGA and Herring have split at least $740,786 in TV ad buys.
Herring has reported over $800,000 total in in-kind contributions from DAGA PAC, covering payroll, polling services, digital services, and TV ad buys in 2021.
Herring’s campaign finance report listed only $485,063 in direct contributions.
DAGA won’t report donors until July 15, over a month after the Virginia primary
Most Incumbents Have Cash Advantage - Virginia Public Access Project
A record 17 state delegates face a primary election challenge next Tuesday, and all but three held a campaign cash advantage heading into the final week and a half before the Election Day. The House contests listed below are sorted by the incumbent's advantage, from the least to the most. This is one (but certainly not the only) measure of a race's competitiveness.
McAuliffe still has fundraising lead among Democratic field - Associated Press
By SARAH RANKIN and MATTHEW BARAKAT
Terry McAuliffe held on to his commanding fundraising lead in the Democratic nomination contest for Virginia governor, and incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring maintained a financial edge over his primary challenger, according to the latest campaign finance filings made public this week.
Here’s a look at those and other key takeaways from the final comprehensive reports in this year’s statewide races before the June 8 primary:
He opposed right-to-work repeal before. But McAuliffe won’t take a clear stance now. - Virginia Mercury
by Graham Moomaw
As he runs for a second term, Terry McAuliffe is presenting himself as a policy-heavy candidate, talking up the 130 pages of “big bold plans” listed on his website. But the former governor, seen as a strong favorite to win his party’s nomination for governor in next week’s primary, has studiously avoided taking a clear position on one of his party’s major policy divides: repealing Virginia’s longstanding right-to-work law.
Three of five candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial field — former delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Del. Lee Carter — support repealing the law, which impedes the power of organized labor by allowing workers to avoid paying mandatory union dues. Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, has said she supports pro-union policies but doesn’t support compulsory union fees.
Virginia attorney general primary pits two-term incumbent against state delegate - WTKR
By: Brendan Ponton
The central question of the upcoming primary for Virginia attorney general and potentially the general election in November: Should Virginia voters send Mark Herring back for a third term, or is it time for a change?
Herring, 59, who has been attorney general since 2014, is facing a primary challenge on June 8 from Norfolk Delegate Jay Jones.
Ziegler remains firm LCPS is 'not teaching critical race theory' - Loudoun Times-Mirror
Loudoun County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Scott Ziegler on Tuesday reiterated his prior claims that the school system has not adopted critical race theory, a subject of ongoing local and national controversy.
“It is not something that we are teaching in Loudoun County Public Schools,” he said.
Late census data delays redistricting, causes cities to seek waivers for split voting precincts - Virginian-Pilot
Blame it on COVID-19. Late results coming from the U.S. Census has delayed redistricting in Newport News and Hampton, forcing the cities to request a state waiver to maintain split precincts for the upcoming election.
City Councils from both cities have authorized their registrars to ask for the waiver to keep split precincts — polling places for voters in more than one state House or Senate or congressional district — as they are until after the November election.
Wittman Applauds Inclusion of the Norfolk Harbor Deepening and Widening Project in President’s Budget Proposal
Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) applauded the inclusion of $83.7 million in proposed federal funds to the Norfolk Harbor project in the recently released President’s budget proposal. The proposed project funding was announced after Congressman Wittman, along with the entire Virginia Congressional delegation, authored a letter urging the President to prioritize the Norfolk Harbor Widening and Deepening project. Moreover, the budget proposal included a New Start designation, which allows the project to continue to the next steps of construction.
“The prioritization of the Norfolk Harbor Widening and Deepening project is of profound importance to the economic prosperity of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Wittman. “The New Start Designation, along with the critical federal investment would provide a critical economic boom for Virginia, as well as allowing further reach into the Midwest. Although President Biden’s budget has many issues, the inclusion of this project is a wise decision that will hopefully enjoy broad, bipartisan support. I will remain a steadfast advocate for this project’s funding as Congress move to appropriate final allocations.”
“We are very happy to see that the President’s Budget includes a new start designation and funding for the construction of the inner harbor portion of our channel deepening and widening project,” said Virginia Port Authority CEO Stephen Edwards. “Earlier this week, The Port of Virginia welcomed the CMA CGM Marco Polo – the largest container vessel to call on the US East Coast. It was an historic day as well as a reminder of the shifting dynamics in the supply chain industry as well as the critical role that Virginia plays as a gateway for global trade.”