Fundraising numbers are in for all of the statewide candidates
The latest in Virginia politics.
Here are the latest finance reports for statewide campaigns. (Thanks to VPAP for making this easier.)
Republican gubernatorial fundraising numbers:
Kirk Cox raised $694,168 in the first quarter from 2,295 donors. Cox reported having $310,314 cash on hand at the end of March.
Amanda Chase raised $113,525 from 2,201 donors and reported $195,973 cash on hand at the end of March.
Pete Snyder Snyder raised $6,809,494 from 2,138 donors. $5.2 million of that was a loan to himself, however. Snyder reported having $2,596,570 cash on hand at the end of March.
Glenn Youngkin, who also loaned himself $5.5 million, raised $7,650,235 from 1220 donors in the first quarter. He reported having $3,281,669 cash on hand at the end of March.
Democratic gubernatorial fundraising numbers:
Terry McAuliffe raised $4,185,188 from 8,931 donors. McAuliffe reported having $8,512,035 cash on hand at the end of March.
Jennifer Carroll Foy raised $1,825,734 from 4,570 donors. Carroll Foy reported having $2,329,330 cash on hand at the end of March.
Jennifer McClellan raised $635,428 from 2,971 donors. McClellan reported having $442,042 cash on hand at the end of March.
Lee Carter raised $138,702 from 3,443 donors. Carter reported having $88,896 cash on hand at the end of March.
Justin Fairfax raised $99,832 but $75,000 of that was in-kind donations. Fairfax only received cash donations from 31 donors. Fairfax reported $20,689 cash on hand at the end of March.
Republican lieutenant governor candidates:
Tim Hugo raised $198,374 and finished with $103,767 cash on hand at the end of March
Winsome Sears raised $191,026 and finished with $64,020 cash on hand at the end of March.
Glenn Davis raised $134,988 and finished with $35,772 cash on hand at the end of March.
Lance Allen raised $16,101 and finished with $25,155 cash on hand at the end of March.
Democratic lieutenant governor candidates:
Sam Rasoul raised $593,191 and finished with $952,611 cash on hand at the end of March.
Hala Ayala raised $141,000 and finished with $154,960 cash on hand at the end of March.
Elizabeth Guzman raised $137,305 and finished with $117,845 cash on hand at the end of March.
Andria McClellan raised $394,502 and finished with $406,153 cash on hand at the end of March.
Sean Perryman raised $105,341 and finished with $158,633 cash on hand at the end of March.
Mark Levine raised $504,426 (including a $350k loan to himself) and finished with $602,279 cash on hand at the end of March.
Xavier Warren raised $10,839 and finished with $39,169 cash on hand at the end of March.
Republican attorney general candidates:
Jason Miyares raised $235,797 and finished with $341,065 cash on hand at the end of March.
Leslie Haley raised $119,584 and finished with $67,023 at the end of March.
Chuck Smith raised $137,948 and finished with $31,563 at the end of March,
Jack White raised $153,744 and finished with $97,467 cash on hand at the end of March.
Democratic attorney general candidates:
As the only statewide incumbent seeking reelection, Mark Herring raised $645,879 and finished with $1,386,399 cash on hand at the end of March.
Jay Jones raised $498,380 and finished with $1,051,228 cash on hand at the end of March.
Go to VPAP if you are interested in looking at the individual donors to each campaign.
The News:
Rod Hall continues to earn big endorsements in his primary challenge to Guzman
Chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Del. Lamont Bagby D-Henrico, is the latest state legislator to endorse Rod Hall as he seeks the Democratic nomination to represent the 31 District in the House of Delegates. The district is currently represented by Del. Elizabeth Guzman D-Prince William, but a tough primary challenge from Hall is putting Guzman in a sticky situation.
Hall was considered the front runner in the nomination race for the Prince William County district and was racking up big endorsements from powerful state legislators like Sen. Scott Surovell and House Appropriations Chair Luke Torian — but then the incumbent, Del. Guzman, who is also running for lieutenant governor, said she would be seeking the nomination for the House again — making the race much more competitive.
But even with Guzman’s official bid for reelection, the endorsements of Hall from her colleagues in the House continue to happen. Recently, after Guzman stated she would be seeking reelection, Petersburg Del. Lashrecse Aird and Hampton Del. Marcia Price announced their support of Hall. Surovell and Torian have not indicated that they will be changing their endorsements, either.
Guzman is one of four current state delegates seeking the Democratic nomination to run for lieutenant governor. In addition to Guzman, Dels. Sam Rasoul and Mark Levine are running for reelection to their House seat and lieutenant governor as well — Guzman and Levine are facing primary challengers. Del. Hala Ayala is the only current delegate in the Democratic lieutenant governor race that is not also seeking reelection to the House.
“Unfortunately the failure to complete the census in a timely way has created the equivalent of a nomination traffic jam,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at Mary Washington University. Farnsworth is referencing the redistricting process. The legislative lines for the House of Delegates are scheduled to be redrawn this year, as they update every ten years with the new census data. Typically during redistricting years, House primaries are held in August instead of June so that the candidates have enough time to campaign in their new district. Statewide primary elections are not impacted by redistricting, however, meaning they could proceed in June. This gives House candidates a unique opportunity to run for their statewide seats in June, with the option to run for reelection to their House seats in August. But due to the delay in the census data this year, Virginia House of Delegates candidates are running under the old lines, meaning there is no reason for a delay in the House primaries.
(Hall raised $128,099 for this race and Guzman only raised $49,078 for her delegate account. Reminder, Guzman also raised $137,305 for her lieutenant governor campaign.)
State Senator Emmett Hanger Endorses Kirk Cox for Governor
Hanger was considering running for governor until the party chose a convention as a nomination method. Now he is endorsing Cox.
"I have served alongside Kirk in the General Assembly, and I can tell you what separates him from the other candidates in this race is that while everyone can talk about conservative governing, Kirk is the only one who has actually done it," said Senator Hanger. "Kirk has defended our shared principles and worked on some of the toughest problems Virginia faces. He brings knowledge and a wealth of experience. More than anyone else in this race, he is actually prepared to govern and lead on day one."
Congresswoman Leslie Byrne Endorses McClellan for governor
“I’m proud to endorse the most experienced, most qualified candidate for governor with the perspective and experience to move Virginia forward: Senator Jennifer McClellan,” Congresswoman Byrne said. “As the first woman elected to Congress from Virginia, I cannot wait to see Jenn become the first woman elected governor of Virginia.I know Jenn McClellan is the candidate with the right vision and experience to lead Virginia forward in every community of the Commonwealth on day one, and I’m excited to support the candidacy of a fellow glass ceiling-breaker every step of the way.”
Chase plans trip to Florida to meet with Donald Trump, says she plans to 'seek his endorsement' - Progress-Index
by Bill Atkinson
State Sen. Amanda Chase says she is heading to Florida later this month to meet with former President Donald Trump, and when she returns in time for next month's Republican convention, she hopes to have his blessing on her campaign for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Chase, whose state Senate district includes the city of Colonial Heights, said on a radio talk-show late last week that she was going to Florida "in a couple of weeks" to meet with the former president. Her campaign already has picked up the endorsement of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, and she wants to snare an even bigger trophy to take with her into the May 8 unassembled GOP convention.
Virginia Tests the Water on Ranked-Choice Voting - VPM News
by Ben Paviour
Republican convention-goers are trying it. So are local Democrats in Arlington. And beginning July 1, Virginia cities and counties can opt-in to ranked-choice voting for local elections -- so long as they foot the bill.
Three years after Maine introduced ranked-choice voting in statewide races, Virginia is taking small steps to follow in its footsteps. Advocates like Del. Sally Hudson (D-Charlottesville) pitch the system as a way to diversify the field of candidates, allow for more substantive campaigns, and reduce the impression of “wasted” votes on long shot candidates.