In Virginia politics, state-level candidates and PACs spent $424.06 million between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021. More than $99.40 million or 23.44 percent of all campaign finance expenditures went to the 10 payees at the top of the list.
A payee is an entity or individual who has received money from a campaign account. Candidates and PACs must report campaign expenditures, including payments to vendors, donations to other campaign accounts, and bank transfers, to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Top 10 Virginia payees (1/1/2020 – 12/31/2021)
Here are the top 10 recipients of Virginia campaign money in the 2021 election cycle, as of the most recent reports.
| Rank | Payee Name | Total Received |
| 1. | Smart Media Group LLC | $29,705,137.26 |
| 2. | Grassroots Media | $27,104,769.21 |
| 3. | Sage Media Planning & Placement Inc | $6,623,440.38 |
| 4. | Google Inc | $6,381,010.05 |
| 5. | Buying Time Media LLC | $5,684,227.35 |
| 6. | On Message Inc | $5,464,979.19 |
| 7. | Braddock Road Strategies | $4,973,554.00 |
| 8. | Strategic Media Placement | $4,603,940.43 |
| 9. | Facebook Inc | $4,486,863.02 |
| 10. | Axiom Strategies LLC | $4,373,612.44 |
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Virginia PACs submitted to the Virginia Department of Elections. 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.
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