Republicans looking to hold onto their majority in Virginia’s House of Delegates raked in more cash in June than their Democratic counterparts and had more in the bank at the end of the month, according to campaign finance reports.
The results contrast sharply with the governor’s race, in which Democrat Creigh Deeds raised nearly twice as much as Republican Bob McDonnell last month. Republican House candidates raised $1.56 million through June 30, with a combined $4.4 million on hand, to Democrats’ $1.42 million and $2.6 million on hand, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
The results auger poorly for Democrats, who need to take six seats to win a majority in Virginia’s last Republican stronghold, a feat that leaders in both parties see as unlikely. Nevertheless, a flurry of retirements — including that of Del. Chris Saxman, a prominent Shenandoah Valley Republican — has injected a great deal of uncertainty into the races.
Democrats are especially targeting Republican incumbents whose districts voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. One of the top fundraisers and spenders, Del. Dave Albo, R-Springfield, is among that group of Republicans in the cross hairs. He raised $127,787 last month to his opponent’s $30,000.
Albo said he raised $30,000 of his June total in a single night from a constituent fundraiser. Overall, he framed his caucus’ fundraising as “an objective measurement of how energized the Republican Party is.”
The fundraising totals in the governor’s race undercut that message. Deeds brought in $3.4 million in June to McDonnell’s $1.8 million, much of it from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and national Democratic groups.
Virginia Democrats haven’t controlled the House of Delegates since 1997. A triumph in November would give the party complete control of the General Assembly after it won a narrow majority in the Senate two years ago. Democrats also control Virginia’s two U.S. Senate seats, the governor’s mansion and a majority of the U.S. House delegation.
