BigMoneyOutVA Condemns the Outsized Influence of Big Money in Virginia Elections
State Coordinator Nancy Morgan: “Virginia’s campaign financing laws are some of the worst in the nation, and there’s no end in sight.”
RICHMOND, VA – Recent disclosure of campaign finance reports reveals the extent of the money arms war in the Virginia elections. With all Virginia legislative seats up for election in November, and no limits on the amount of money that an individual, corporation, union, or political action committees can contribute to a candidate, a record amount of money is flowing into candidates’ coffers.
Data analysis from OpenSecrets, a nonprofit organization tracking campaign finance data, shows that contributions through August 2023 reached almost $100 million. Of that, $58 million went to Senatorial candidates and $41 million went to House races. The pace of donations is accelerating as election day approaches, with VPAPs regular release of campaign contributions showing hundreds of thousands of dollars moving, sometimes on a daily basis, into political action committees and political parties and from there to candidate’s coffers. The total costs of this November’s election will vastly exceed 2019’s record-breaking amount of $117 million. Plus dark money groups are dumping money into the elections, with $2 million recently coming in from groups outside of Virginia.
Not only is money moving into our elections but average Virginians are increasing losing their voice. Of the nearly $100 million in contributions thus far, nearly 70 percent are donations above $20,000 with the share of contributions from citizens giving less than $500 accounting for only five percent of total contributions.
Dominion Energy and Clean Virginia, the main perpetrators of the money arms war, have each spent $8 million targeting candidates, followed by Sonja Smith, wife of Michael Bills, founder of Clean Virgina, who contributed $3 million. Other donors jockeying for influence include Freedom Virginia, Renew Virginia, Workers Vote, VA Beer Wholesales, VA Auto Dealers, VA Trial Lawyers and many more who have contributed above $500,000. Recent reporting also revealed that more than eight million dollars are currently being spent by two out-of-state donors to influence the casino referendum in Richmond.
BigMoneyOutVA, a non-partisan group advocating for campaign finance reform statewide and nationally, is calling on all candidates to support creating a level playing field in Virginia elections by endorsing campaign contribution limits and strengthening current disclosure laws. Nancy Morgan, coordinator for BigMoneyOut lamented: “Forty-five other states have limits on contributions and four of five Virginia citizens, irrespective of party, are fed up with the perception that out-of-state billionaires are buying our elections.” The record spending on our elections heightens the perception by voters that their government works for the wealthy, not average citizens. The perception of corruption is just as dangerous as corruption itself in undermining confidence in our democratic institutions.
Morgan concluded that “The majority of Virginians who believe that large donors have too much influence on our elections are calling for legislative action on this issue in the next General Assembly. Strong campaign finance laws are necessary to protect our First Amendment rights to have our voices heard in government, and Virginia legislators should prioritize bills that ensure the government is accountable to Virginians and not special interests.”
