Virginia Democrats post strong fundraising numbers in quest to flip General Assembly blue

Virginia Democrats outraised their Republican counterparts in the second quarter, according to recent campaign finance disclosures posted by the Virginia Public Access Project.

The differences were most stark at the party level, as the Democratic Party of Virginia raised $690,282 compared to the Republican Party’s $36,385 (yes, you read that right). 

The House Democratic Caucus raised $805,893, compared to $535,098 for Republicans. Things didn’t get any better for Republicans on the Senate side, where they were outraised by Democrats by nearly $225,000. Democrats also saw their Commonwealth Victory Fund – a joint House-Senate Caucus fund – raise $407,471. 

Democratic PACs posted strong numbers as well, raising over $800,000 combined. The one bright spot for Republicans was Speaker Kirk Cox’s Colonial Leadership Trust PAC, which raised $508,877.

But in a surprise, Cox’s opponent, Sheila Bynum-Coleman, raised nearly $10,000 more than the Speaker from May 31 to June 30. Bynum-Coleman’s success in June was mirrored by Democrats running for both the House of Delegates and the state Senate.

Seven of the top 10 fundraisers on the House side were Democrats, including Daniel Helmer, an army veteran who is challenging Del. Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax). Helmer raised over $104,000, compared to Hugo’s $71,464.

Democrat Joshua Cole, who is running for a seat in the Stafford County area, also placed in the top 10, as did his hard-line anti-choice opponent, Paul Milde. 

House Republicans previously had a significant cash-on-hand advantage, but that lead is now down to less than $100,000. 

Democrats posted equally strong numbers on the Senate side, where the top three fundraisers were all Democrats.

Ghazala Hashmi, an educator, far outpaced the field, raising $182,793 in her quest to unseat Sen. Glenn Sturtevant (R-Midlothian). 

Amy Laufer also posted strong numbers, raising $157,987 in her race against state Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania). Rounding out the top three was Debra Rodman, a Delegate who is running against state Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico). 

Despite their strong month of June, Senate Democrats still lag behind Republicans in cash on hand, which may put them at a disadvantage heading into the fall campaign season. 

They have time to make up the gap, though, and with all 140 seats of the General Assembly on the ballot in November, Democrats in both the House and Senate are fighting tooth and nail to flip Virginia blue.