New campaign finance filings for Virginia state legislative races showed that Democrats led Republicans in fundraising through the election cycle. Between January 1, 2020, and November 25, 2021, Democratic candidates outraised Republican candidates by 125 percent.
Heading into the general elections, 103 Democratic candidates raised $56.39 million compared to $25.11 million raised by 103 Republicans.
In the Democratic party, the top fundraisers in the most recent reporting period were:
- Wendy Gooditis (House of Delegates, District 10) – $3,085,894
- Joshua Cole (House of Delegates, District 28) – $2,430,940
- Jerrauld Jones (House of Delegates, District 89) – $2,377,726
- Alex Askew (House of Delegates, District 85) – $2,310,632
- Nancy Guy (House of Delegates, District 83) – $2,175,443
- Dan Helmer (House of Delegates, District 40) – $2,163,927
- S. Rasoul (House of Delegates, District 11) – $2,101,735
- Eileen Filler-Corn (House of Delegates, District 41) – $1,950,641
- Rodney Willett (House of Delegates, District 73) – $1,916,939
- Elizabeth Guzman (House of Delegates, District 31) – $1,841,270
In the Republican party, the top fundraisers in the most recent reporting period were:
- Nick Clemente (House of Delegates, District 10) – $1,806,524
- Tara Durant (House of Delegates, District 28) – $1,112,030
- Karen Greenhalgh (House of Delegates, District 85) – $1,054,949
- Jason Ballard (House of Delegates, District 12) – $1,047,735
- Mary Margaret Kastelberg (House of Delegates, District 73) – $980,100
- Tim Anderson (House of Delegates, District 83) – $924,034
- Roxann Robinson (House of Delegates, District 27) – $919,241
- Mike Cherry (House of Delegates, District 66) – $908,165
- H. Otto Wachsmann Jr. (House of Delegates, District 75) – $902,762
- Tanya Gould (House of Delegates, District 21) – $736,028
The candidates who raised the most money were incumbent Wendy Gooditis (D) in House District 10 ($3,085,894), incumbent Joshua Cole (D) in House District 28 ($2,430,940), and incumbent Jerrauld Jones (D) in House District 89 ($2,377,726).
State legislative general elections were held on November 2, 2021. In some cases, party nominees may have been chosen earlier.
Democrats entered the election with a 21-19 majority in the Virginia State Senate and a 55-45 majority in the Virginia State House. No elections took place in the Senate. In the House, Republicans won seven seats to gain a 52-48 majority.
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.
Learn More
