House Democrats in Virginia are doing a bit of a happy dance over their $1 million haul last reporting period, noting that 22 House Democrats outraised their Republican counterparts this season.
If only it were the whole story.
Republicans candidates have $4.5 million cash on hand compared to just $1.5 million for Democrats
Problem for the Democrats is that their task is Sisyphean at best. Every year the show is put on that the House of Delegates can be flipped, a bag of good is sold to donors and investors… and every two years the rock just seems to roll right back down the hill. Lucy and the football, for those who prefer metaphors we can understand.
Facts are, the Democrats are still licking their wounds from a deeply divisive primary season that is playing out into the general over issues such as Virginia’s right to work statute and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Some numbers? Republican Leadership combined has $3.8 million cash on hand, nearly a million dollars more than at the same time in the 2015 cycle. Not including the nearly $2 million in leadership PACs, Republicans candidates have $4.5 million cash on hand compared to just $1.5 million for Democrats.
Here’s where it gets worse for the Democrats.
Every Republican incumbent in a targeted races have more cash on hand than their opponents. Worse still? A good portion of the money House Democrats are raising? Is coming from outside Virginia — which means for all the foot stomping the Democrats are doing now over their failure to connect this reporting period, they are having a hard time convincing working class Virginians (much less voters) that they have a vision for Virginia that works, much less convincing voters they can win.
Republicans have the decisive resources needed to maintain their overwhelming majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. To date, the Democrats are all hype, an any substance appears to be coming from out-of-state. Not a positive sign for the Sisyphean task ahead.