As candidates and parties prepare for November’s elections, Republicans in Virginia’s General Assembly posted a strong fundraising advantage over Democrats in year-end campaign finance filings, released following yesterday’s deadline.
In total, House Republicans raised $6,164,623 to the Democrats’ $4,324,392, giving the GOP a fundraising advantage of nearly $1.8 million, as House candidates seek to hold on to the party’s one-seat majority in the chamber.
Likewise, House GOP candidates and leadership committees reported a total of $5,718,293 cash on hand, compared to $3,556,990 for Democrats, giving Republicans a nearly $2.2 million cash advantage — resources the GOP says are crucial for its campaign and get out the vote efforts later this year.
Leading the pack was Republican Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights), whose campaign committee and leadership PAC reported raising nearly $2.4 million in 2018, which surpassed the fundraising pace of his predecessor, former Speaker Bill Howell, by nearly $700,000.
Cox said he plans to distribute his fundraising haul to Republican candidates running to take back competitive districts lost to Democrats during the wave election in 2017. Of Cox’s haul, the majority flowed into his Colonial Leadership Trust PAC and the House Republican Campaign Committee, both of which are earmarked towards defending the GOP’s majority.
In the increasingly-important battle for the House, Republican delegates raised $1.2 million more than their Democratic counterparts and have nearly twice the amount in the bank, suggesting that the GOP is well-positioned to maintain its House majority after November’s elections.
Senate Republicans also posted strong fundraising numbers. Comment from leadership was not immediately available.
“House Republicans had very strong fundraising in 2018, which shows that we are well-positioned to hold the majority in 2019 and beyond,” said House Republican Campaign Chairman Rob Bell (R-Albemarle). “Our strong fundraising efforts have allowed us to invest earlier than ever in our campaigns. We have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in our targeted races, hired staff, implemented a best-in-class data operation, and have connected with voters through a robust field program.”
While Speaker Cox has been able to build on the work of his predecessor, it remains to be seen whether newly-elected Democratic Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax), who took her position January 1st, will be able to match Cox’s success.
Democratic candidates have had a rocky relationship with campaign finance in recent years, as the party’s younger, more progressive members — many influenced by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders — swear off contributions from certain sources.
The party, however, remains capable of raising money from sources which its candidates claim to not touch directly, such as the $50,000 which the House Democratic Caucus accepted from the United Coal Company, making the fossil fuel producer the top corporate contributor to House Democrats in 2018, even as individual party members advocate for a “Green New Deal” in Virginia.
Like its Republican counterparts, the House Democratic Caucus will spend its fossil fuel haul, which its candidates claim to oppose, towards Democratic victory efforts in the most tightly-contested races.
Republican leaders are cautiously optimistic, noting the potential for financial resources to be wasted on nomination fights between Republicans, pitting challengers against incumbents in races capable of burning several hundred thousand dollars each.
At present, Democrats face more high-profile nomination fights than Republicans, suggesting that party infighting could be a net advantage to the GOP, if Republicans stay focused on November while Democrats remain more concerned with their nominees, to be decided by June.
Some of those Democratic nomination battles involve current or former party leaders, including former House Minority Leader David Toscano, as well as current Senate Minority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-Springfield).
“Republicans can ill-afford to waste this cash advantage in nomination fights,” said one veteran GOP consultant, on condition of anonymity to discuss the races candidly. “Every dollar spent by Republicans, against Republicans, comes at the expense of GOTV efforts among the GOP base. Unnecessary infighting would also reduce campaign advertising budgets aimed at holding incumbent Democrats accountable for their voting records in what is shaping up to be the most liberal legislative session in Virginia history.”
Under Virginia law, lawmakers are prohibited from raising campaign funds during the legislative session, which is scheduled to last through mid-February.