Democratic legislative candidates in Virginia have a fundraising advantage due in part to donations from a George Soros-linked political action committee and having more nomination contests than their Republican counterparts, it found a non-profit organization.
The fundraising lead comes as the historically red state, which has leaned blue in recent years, just elected a Republican governor for the first time since 2009 and the state’s political parties see new opportunities to win additional seats in the legislature.
Virginia Senate and House candidates collectively raised more than $20 million from April 1 to June 8, with Democratic candidates contributing about $14 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in politics.
Virginia’s primary election is next week, Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
GEORGE SOROS HAS SPENT TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INFLUENCING OUR POLITICS: MATT PALUMBO
Virginia legislative candidates raised more than $20 million in cash and other donations in just over two months before the Tuesday, June 20, 2023, primary election. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Some of the other biggest fundraising totals have come from Northern Virginia, where a political action committee funded by liberal donor George Soros has shelled out big bucks for prosecutorial races.
The races include support for incumbents in Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties, many of whom won four years ago with a focus on criminal justice reform agendas, who are seeking re-election.
SOROS-BACKED GROUP RAISES SPENDING IN VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR’S RACES
Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has raised $437,775, most of it from the Soros-linked Justice and Public Safety PAC.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano has raised $208,468, including a contribution from the Soros-linked PAC.
Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj raised $163,838, even though she received no money from Soros.
George Soros, billionaire and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, has remained one of the most prominent financial contributors to political races across the country. (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats also led fundraising efforts in the state legislature.
Democratic legislative candidates ended up with more money on hand, according to the nonprofit group’s analysis of campaign finance disclosures, with a collective lead of about $2 million in the Senate and a cash advantage of about $400,000 for House races.
GEORGE SOROS RETURNS TO VIRGINIA TO HELP FAR-LEFT PROSECUTORS FACE US DEM CHALLENGERS, FILES SHOW
The top 10 legislative fundraisers were Democratic candidates, the nonprofit found.
Democrats have more than twice as many Senate nomination contests to decide next week as Republicans, which also contributes to the discrepancy.
Monday’s report did not include fundraisers for committees like Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia, only candidates seeking office that is on the ballot on Election Day in November.
Contributions collected by committees such as Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia were not included in Monday’s report. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The fundraiser isn’t all good news for state Democrats, showing some political infighting as lucrative candidates try to unseat seasoned incumbents.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Virginia campaign finance law allows unlimited contributions, including from individuals, corporations and special interest groups.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
