ActBlue Virginia, a conduit PAC, has received more money than any other non-candidate political action committee (PAC) in Virginia’s 2021 election cycle. According to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Virginia Department of Elections, ActBlue Virginia received $38.86 million and distributed $38.86 million between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31. 2021.
A PAC is a group that spends money on elections. A non-candidate PAC may be established by and affiliated with corporations, labor unions, membership organizations, or trade associations. A candidate PAC is directly associated with a candidate or officeholder. Conduit PACs, such as ActBlue, are a subset of non-candidate PACs through which individuals can donate to candidate PACs.
In Virginia politics, donations through ActBlue Virginia represent 20.63 percent of the $188.04 million given to state-level PACs in Virginia. Here are the individuals who gave the most to and candidate PACs that received the most from ActBlue Virginia, as reported to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Contributions through ActBlue Virginia
Of the $38,864,163 given through ActBlue Virginia in the 2021 election cycle, 6.52 percent came from its top 10 givers.
Top Givers through ActBlue Virginia (1/1/2020 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $463,700.00 | Leonard A Bennett | Individual |
| 2. | $364,050.00 | Ronald D Abramson | Individual |
| 3. | $363,533.34 | Karla Jurvetson | Individual |
| 4. | $283,500.00 | Robert D Hardie | Individual |
| 5. | $258,000.00 | Seiu Cope | Individual |
| 6. | $214,500.00 | Vinton G Cerf | Individual |
| 7. | $170,000.00 | Robert Linton | Individual |
| 8. | $155,100.00 | Thomas J McInerney | Individual |
| 9. | $131,000.00 | James A Hixon | Individual |
| 10. | $130,860.00 | John P Rathbone | Individual |
Distributions by ActBlue Virginia
On the distribution side, ActBlue Virginia reported $38,861,830, with 54.55 percent of all distributions going to the 10 payees topping the list. Payees include both contribution recipients and vendors, as filed by ActBlue Virginia.
Top ActBlue Virginia Payees (1/1/2020 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $10,396,327.43 | Terry McAuliffe | Entity |
| 2. | $1,775,128.96 | Jennifer Carroll Foy | Entity |
| 3. | $1,587,345.52 | Sam Rasoul | Entity |
| 4. | $1,509,679.32 | Actblue Virginia | Entity |
| 5. | $1,376,047.33 | Mark Herring | Entity |
| 6. | $1,267,495.30 | Common Good VA | Entity |
| 7. | $1,177,642.17 | Hala Ayala | Entity |
| 8. | $794,730.03 | Jennifer McClellan | Entity |
| 9. | $705,562.46 | Jerrauld Jay Jones | Entity |
| 10. | $608,164.30 | Energized for Change PAC | Entity |
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Virginia PACs submitted to the Virginia Department of Elections. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Semiannual | 1/15/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual (and Post-Primary) | 7/15/2022 |
| 2023 Jan Semiannual | 1/15/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.