State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli amassed substantially more campaign cash in the past two months than any other of Northern Virginia’s candidates for the state legislature, gathering more than $200,000 to outraise his opponent by more than 2-to-1, campaign finance records show.
“This is one of the best fundraising periods we’ve ever had,” the conservative Fairfax County Republican said Wednesday.
Recommended Stories
Cuccinelli’s largest single contribution in July and August — $75,000 — came from the Republican State Leadership Committee, a donation that signals the GOP’s view of the 37th Senate District as a key battleground to maintain Republican control of the General Assembly.
Cuccinelli’s Democratic opponent, Fairfax County school board Member Janet Oleszek, raised $82,757.
The two-month period of raising and spending left the Republican with $300,391 on hand, and his opponent with $135,870.
Oleszek campaign manager Jonathan Murray said the $75,000 infusion is a sign Republicans are nervous about losing the district, where he said voters will ultimately decide Cuccinelli’s views have become “too extreme” to re-elect him.
“Everybody knows that Ken Cuccinelli is vulnerable,” he said. “This is the No. 1 target, this is the most vulnerable candidate in Northern Virginia.”
Other contribution-heavy races in Northern Virginia include the Senate’s 34th District contest between Democrat Chap Peterson and Republican incumbent Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis.
Peterson, a former delegate, raised $120,061 to Davis’ $84,736 in the past two months. In the Senate’s 39th, Democrat George Barker collected $148,708, about $30,000 more than Sen. Jay O’Brien, a Republican first elected to the seat in 2002.
In the House of Delegates’ 34th, considered among the state’s most contested districts, Republican Dave Hunt was able to narrowly outpace his opponent by raising $118,536 to the $103,882 raised by Margi Vanderhye, a Democrat.
Among the most lopsided fundraising efforts are those of Steve Shannon, a Democratic House incumbent who raised $134,902 last period, and his opponent, Republican anti-tax activist Arthur Purves, who raised $4,085. Democratic challenger Jay Donahue raised $27,885 in those months over Republican Del. Thomas Rust, who gathered $144,086.
