Politics & Government

Who's Winning the Money Race for Lt. Governor, Attorney General?

Democrat Aneesh Chopra continues to outraise his opponent; Herring stays in the lead going into the Primary.

 

Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Aneesh Chopra continues to outraise his opponent Ralph Northam as the two head into this week’s June 11 Democratic Primary Election.

Chopra, a former technology secretary for Tim Kaine and the first Chief Technology Officer under President Barack Obama, raised more than $520,000 during the filing period between April 1 and May 29. He closed the quarter with $400,000 in cash on hand, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

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Chopra got the majority of the quarter’s donations from outside the Commonwealth, with four of his top five donors coming from out of state. His top five donors were:

  • Sean Parker, the famous technology entrepreneur, Napster founder and Northern Virginia native, with a contribution of $100,000
  • the New Jersey-based Bayonne Medical Center, with a contribution of $25,000
  • Jay Sunny Bajaj, president and CEO of Bethesda-based mobile services company DMI, with a contribution of $25,000
  • Eric Schmidt, the California-based software engineer and executive chairman of Google, with a contribution of $20,000
  • Arlington-based office space company Metro Offices, with a contribution of $10,658

During the same filing period, Northam, a pediatric neurologist and state senator for six years, raised more than $334,000. He closed out the quarter with more than $151,000 in cash on hand.

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Northam’s top donations came from inside the Commonwealth in amounts less than $10,000. His top five donors were:

  • Betty Kenley from Mechanicsville, with a contribution of $7,000
  • Northam himself, with a contribution of $5,374
  • Susan Goode, a Norfolk resident, with a contribution of $5,000
  • Bruce Gottwald, a Richmond-based businessman and former CEO of the Ethyl Corporation, with a contribution of $5,000
  • Harry Lester, a Virginia Beach doctor, with a contribution of $5,000

The winner and nominee from Tuesday’s primary will face Republican E.W. Jackson, a Chesapeake minister and former U.S. Senate candidate, who suprprised many when he was nominated at Virginia’s GOP Convention in Richmond this past May.

Jackson raised almost $121,000 from April 1 to May 29, including more than $95,800 from his campaign committee, according to VPAP. A breakdown of the data was not immediately available, as VPAP is still working through the most recent report filings, they said.

Jackson also received a loan for $25,000 from Donald Lee Woodsmall, a Charlottesville attorney.

Attorney General

Democratic State Sen. Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) leads opponent Justin Fairfax, a former federal prosecutor, in the days leading up to the primary.

Herring raised about $180,000 during the filing period, compared to Fairfax’s $133,000. Herring has $229,000 in cash on hand to Fairfax’s $92,000.

Both candidates received most of their top contributions for the quarter from in state. Herring’s top five were from:

  • Reston-based union Laborers Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition, with a contribution of $15,000
  • famous author and North Garden, Va., resident John Grisham, with a contribution of $10,000
  • Suzann Matthews, a civic activist from McLean, with a contribution of $10,000
  • Ronald Abramson, a Washington, D.C. attorney, with a contribution of $5,000
  • Mark Stavish, a Loudoun County-based businessman, with a contribution of $5,000

Fairfax’s top donors for the period were similarly Virginia-based. All of them made donations of $5,000 or less. His top five donors were:

  • Leonard Bennett, an attorney in Newport News, with a contribution of $5,000
  • Johnny on the Spot, a Richmond-based clean-up and repairs company, with a contribution of $5,000
  • John King, a McLean resident and co-founder of Perot Systems Corporation, with a contribution of $5,000
  • philanthropist Earl Stafford, founder and CEO of the Stafford Foundation in Reston, with a contribution of $5,000
  • federal employee Margaret Kober, with a contribution of $5,000

The winner of the race between Fairfax and Herring will face Republican nominee Mark Obenshain, a state senator from Harrisonburg.

Obenshain was nominated during May’s GOP convention and has raised almost $219,000 during the second quarter.

Obenshain received his two largest donations during the period from out-of-state sources. His top five donors were:

  • Chatham Light Media, a TV and production company in Stowe, Vt., that also has an Alexandria address, with a contribution of $18,000
  • Select Management Resources, a Georgia-based consumer credit company, with a contribution of $9,000
  • Crystal Blosser, an Arlington retailer, with a contribution of $5,000
  • James Derderian, a lobbyist with the Stanton Park Group, with a contribution of $5,000
  • Bill Holtzman, president and owner of home heating oil company Holtzman Corporation, with a contribution of $5,000

 

What do you think of the campaign raising to date? Which candidates do you favor so far, and why? Tell us in the comments below.


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