Welcome to the Thursday, October 14, Brew.
By: Emily Aubert
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection: Getting to know your candidates
- Democrats outraise Republicans by 154% in Virginia state legislative races
- #ThursdayTrivia: How many minor parties were recognized in more than 10 states?
Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection: Getting to know your candidates
There is a wide range of ways that people prepare for election day.
Voters research their ballots on their phones. Politicians receive updates from their staff. Some candidates run ads on YouTube. Others run campaigns from their kitchen tables.
At least one thing is the same. Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection program helps all of these candidates and voters better prepare for election day.
Candidate Connection is a unique survey available to all candidates. This survey goes beyond issue questions. It elicits thoughtful responses from candidates on what they care about and hope to achieve. This information helps voters identify the candidates that best align with their values.
In less than an hour, any candidate can reach voters with their key messages, and any voter can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Encourage your candidates to take part in Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection today.
Democrats outraise Republicans by 154% in Virginia state legislative races
Campaign finance filings for Virginia state legislative races show Democrats leading Republicans in fundraising. The most recently available data is for reporting between January 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021. During that period, Democratic candidates outraised Republican candidates by 154%.
Heading into the election, 103 Democratic candidates raised $28.74 million, while 103 Republican candidates raised $11.31 million.
The top five Democratic fundraisers in the most recent reporting period were:
- Jerrauld Jones (House of Delegates, District 89) – $2,330,659
- S. Rasoul (House of Delegates, District 11) – $2,069,106
- Eileen Filler-Corn (House of Delegates, District 41) – $1,353,025
- Charniele Herring (House of Delegates, District 46) – $952,894
- Elizabeth Guzman (House of Delegates, District 31) – $918,627
The top five Republican fundraisers in the most recent reporting period were:
- Nick Clemente (House of Delegates, District 10) – $713,327
- Glenn Davis (House of Delegates, District 84) – $566,940
- Terry Kilgore (House of Delegates, District 1) – $388,172
- Harold Pyon (House of Delegates, District 40) – $348,733
- Travis Hackworth (State Senate, District 38) – $329,120
State legislative general elections will be held on November 2, 2021. Democrats have a 21-19 majority in the Virginia State Senate and a 55-45 majority in the Virginia State House.
This information was published in partnership with Transparency USA. Click here to learn more about that partnership.
Quiz: How many minor parties were recognized in more than 10 states?
In Tuesday’s Brew, we discussed what it takes to start a political party. As of November 2020, there were 47 unique, individual parties across the country with 225 state-level ballot-qualified political party affiliates nationwide. The number of ballot-qualified political parties nationwide changes as parties gain or lose qualified status.
Both the Democratic and Republican parties are recognized in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
How many minor parties were recognized in more than 10 states as of November 2020?