“Democratic candidates across Virginia are benefitting from widespread grassroots support and a wave of high energy and voter enthusiasm. They have eliminated the cash advantage incumbents usually have and will head into the final stretch with the resources to deliver their powerful messages and respond to the nasty, misleading attacks from their Republican opponents and the special interest groups that support them,” said DCCC spokesperson Jacob Peters.
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Virginia Democrats vying for the U.S. House outraise Republicans for the quarter | Washington Post
By Jenna Portnoy
October 16th, 2018
All four Democratic candidates vying for competitive U.S. House seats in Virginia outraised their Republican counterparts in the latest fundraising period and had more cash on hand going into the final weeks of the mid-term elections.
The Virginia numbers are in keeping with national trends as Democrats try to capitalize on President Trump’s unpopularity in suburban districts to take control of the House of Representatives.
Comstock-Wexton
Of the four Virginia races, TV advertising is most expensive in northern Virginia’s 10th District where Rep. Barbara Comstock (R) is working to defend her seat against a challenge from state Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D-Loudoun.)
Wexton raised $2.6 million for the quarter ending Sept. 30, compared to Comstock who raised 1.3 million. Wexton had about $1.6 million cash on hand; Comstock had $1 million.
[…]
Five independent polls since June have found Wexton leading Comstock, including a Washington Post-Schar Center survey released last week.
Taylor-Luria
Rep. Scott Taylor, a former Navy SEAL, leads Elaine Luria in the latest poll of the district that includes Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore. Luria, a former Naval commander, raised $1.9 million for the quarter compared to his $677,000 and had $1.3 million cash on hand compared his $492,000, reports show.
[…]
Brat-Spanberger
In the suburbs of Richmond, Rep. Dave Brat is locked in a tight race with former CIA operative and first-time candidate Abigail Spanberger who outraised him three to one for the quarter. She raised about $3.6 million, making her the candidate who raised the most money of either party between June and September. That was more than three times the amount Brat collected.
She also leads in cash on hand, $1.6 million to Brat’s $1.3 million, and for the campaign overall, $4.95 million to his 2.4 million, according to reports.
Two public polls since September have shown a very close contest with split results – Spanberger was ahead in one survey while Brat was ahead in the other.
Riggleman-Cockburn
In a huge swath of central Virginia, Denver Riggleman and Leslie Cockburn are vying for the seat of retiring Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va), who announced in the spring that he is an alcoholic and would not seek reelection in order to focus on recovery.
Cockburn, a former journalist who campaigned over the weekend with her actress daughter Olivia Wilde, raised $1.1 million while he raised about $695,000 for the quarter. She had $1 million cash on hand; Riggleman had about half that.
Overall, reports show, she raised $2.4 million for the election to his $910,000.
Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said Democrats’ strong showing in 2017 — winning the governor’s race by nine points and flipping 15 state delegate seats — convinced donors Virginia is a good political investment.
“The unpopularity of Trump that you saw last year is present this year as well,” he said, “and these financial numbers suggest that a lot of donors think 2018 is going to look like 2017 in Virginia.”