Campaign finance filings for Virginia state legislative races show Democrats outpaced Republicans in fundraising. Between January 1, 2020, and May 7, 2021, Democratic primary election candidates outraised Republican candidates by 400 percent.
Democrats have a 21-19 majority in the Virginia State Senate and a 55-45 majority in the Virginia State House. State legislative primary elections were held on May 8, 2021, for Republicans and on June 8, 2021, for Democrats. In some cases, party nominees may have been chosen earlier.
So far in the election cycle, 118 Democratic candidates have raised $16.36 million compared to $3.27 million taken in by 73 Republicans.
The candidates who have raised the most money so far are incumbent Jerrauld Jones (D) in House District 89 ($1,940,351), incumbent S. Rasoul (D) in House District 11 ($1,465,694), and incumbent Eileen Filler-Corn (D) in House District 41 ($826,004).
Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how much and how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political parties may contribute to campaigns. All campaign financial transactions must be made through the candidate’s committee. Campaign committees are required to file regular campaign finance disclosure reports with the Virginia Department of Elections.
This article was published in partnership with Transparency USA. Click here to learn more about that partnership.