Consitutents sent a letter to CA McEachin asking for an investigation into Ann-Frances Lambert’s alleged campaign finance violations
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) released a memo showing which states they will really be focusing on helping Democrats win during the 2023 and 2024 election cycles
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The rundown
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) released a memo showing which states they will really be focusing on helping Democrats win during the 2023 and 2024 election cycles. Virginia’s Senate and House are both included.
Consitutents send a letter to CA McEachin asking for an investigation into Ann-Frances Lambert’s alleged campaign finance violations for House campaign
Longtime state Sen. Steve Newman (R) is endorsing his former colleague Glen Sturtevant in SD-12
Consitutents sent a letter to CA McEachin asking for an investigation into Ann-Frances Lambert’s alleged campaign finance violations for House campaign
Richmond City Councilor Ann-Frances Lambert could be potentially facing a fine due to a potential campaign finance violation. After the news was reported of the alleged violation last month, a couple of constituents sent a letter to the Richmond Commonwealth Attorney’s office to inquire about any investigation into the matter.
In case you missed coverage from VPM News last month:
Richmond City Councilmember Ann-Frances Lambert has spent over a month soliciting campaign donations in a bid to join Virginia’s House of Delegates.
But the Democrat, who is in a three-way primary for the 79th House District seat in the eastern half of Richmond, never set up a campaign committee to collect contributions in an apparent violation of state campaign finance law.
State law requires candidates to file a “statement of organization” within 10 days of accepting donations or expending funds for office in Virginia. Violators of the law can be fined up to $500.
Lambert is seeking the Democratic nomination in HD-79. The district is in the City of Richmond. Rae Cousins is also seeking the nomination.
One of the individuals that signed the letter provided a statement to Virginia Scope. They asked to remain anonymous.
“I sent the letter because running for office should be taken seriously, and a huge part of running for office is following campaign finance laws. Over the past 2 1/2 years, Ann-Frances Lambert has shown a consistent lack of appreciation for the gravity of her role as a city councilor. Now she is running for House of Delegates. To fundraise, host a campaign kickoff, and make public announcements on social media before filing a Statement of Organization shows either a naivete or a willful ignorance that is totally inappropriate for someone seeking a state-level position. Were this her first campaign, it could be considered a mistake. But having just been elected to her current position in 2020, she should have both the experience and professionalism at this point to know the laws and follow them. Add this to a list of unfortunate public gaffs and announcing public endorsements that she had not officially acquired and it's not hard to question her fitness for office.”
The letter that was sent to Richmond’s Commonwealth Attorney, Colete McEachin, is below:
I am writing to express concern over campaign finance violations in the race for Virginia’s House of Delegates District 79. Ann-Frances Lambert seeks the Democratic nomination, but has solicited donations and made campaign expenditures before she was legally allowed to do so.
Per Section § 24.2-947.1 of the Virginia Code, any individual seeking or campaigning for an office of the Commonwealth or one of its governmental units in a party nomination process or general, primary, or special election shall file a statement of organization within 10 days of meeting any one of the following conditions:
Acceptance of a contribution;
Expenditure of any funds
Per Section § 24.2-946.3 of the Virginia Code, it shall be the duty of the State Board to report any violation of the provisions of this chapter to the appropriate attorney for the Commonwealth. The State Board shall report to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the City of Richmond in the case of reporting requirements for campaign committees for statewide office and to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city of the residence of a candidate for the General Assembly.
As House District 79 resides within the City of Richmond, the Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Richmond has jurisdiction over any campaign finance violations.
Known Campaign Finance Violations:
Lambert registered her campaign domain on November 28, 2022 (Appendix 1). This account was registered using City Council funds instead of a Delegate account (Appendix 2).
On January 2, 2023, Lambert shared a post on Instagram & Twitter (Appendix 3) which included an endorsement graphic (see Appendix 4) and a link to her website, which featured an ActBlue link indicating the campaign was soliciting and receiving donations.
Lambert hosted a campaign kickoff event on January 15, 2021 with flyers, food, drinks, alcohol, and other materials. There are two possibilities: 1) Lambert paid for these materials as a campaign expenditure, or 2) these materials were paid for by a separate party and in-kinded to the campaign. Neither of these scenarios could have been properly accounted for as no Statement of Organization had still not been filed.
Lambert did not file the Statement of Organization until February 16, 2023, the day after VPM published an article explaining that Lambert might be in violation of Virginia campaign finance law.
Lambert placed yard signs at the Laburnum Ave early vote location for the VA-04 special election on February 21, 2023 (Appendix 5). The signs themselves were left over from her city council run. Lambert placed stickers upon the signs to update them for the office she is currently seeking—the 79th District Delegate. The stickers contain a byline that explains they were paid for by the Friends of Ann-Frances Lambert. From a legal perspective, at the time the stickers must have been printed, such a committee did not exist.
In summary, Lambert solicited and received funds, and made expenditures for the purpose of being nominated by the Democratic Party for the 79th District of the Virginia House of Delegates, several weeks before she filed her Statement of Organization on February 16. She began accepting contributions through ActBlue on January 2, more than 6 weeks before she filed her Statement of Organization. Having filed on February 16, according to the candidate handbook, it appears she should only have solicited or received funds, or made expenditures for the sake of her nomination, beginning on February 6. As the timeline above describes, this was not the case.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I trust that your office will investigate these matters and ensure that the integrity of our campaign finance system is upheld equally for all individuals.
The nominee will be chosen by primary election on June 20.
Newman endorses Sturtevant
Longtime state Sen. Steve Newman (R) is endorsing his former colleague Glen Sturtevant in SD-12. Sturtevant is running against Newman’s current colleague, state Sen. Amanda Chase for the nomination. Tina Ramirez is also seeking the nomination.
“I’m proud to offer my endorsement to Glen Sturtevant for Senate District 12. Glen is a commonsense conservative who will work to support public safety, lower taxes, champion school choice, and defend life and our 2nd Amendment. I humbly ask that you join me in supporting his campaign for the State Senate of Virginia," Newman said.
The DLCC is targeting Virginia
“The DLCC is pursuing a bold strategy to win back America’s state legislatures”
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) released a memo showing which states they will really be focusing on helping Democrats win during the 2023 and 2024 election cycles. Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates are both listed among the four priorities for the DLCC.
“We are committed to defending our ground, pushing into vulnerable GOP chambers, and focusing on strategic power plays,” said interim DLCC President Heather Williams. “From attacks on the LGBTQ+ community to never-ending assaults on reproductive freedom, the Republican Party has proven that they’ll prioritize their extremist agenda over the needs of their constituents every time. The threat is urgent and the DLCC is committed to building Democratic power across the country to stop MAGA Republicans.”
Virginia budget negotiations paused amid economic uncertainty - VPM News
by Ben Paviour
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Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings told budget negotiators Tuesday that while the state’s revenues remained solid, he anticipated a stronger possibility of a recession in the next few months, according to state Sen. George Barker (D-Fairfax), one of two top Democratic budget negotiators in the Senate.
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