Follow the money: Pre-primary campaign finance report roundup
Virginians will head to the polls this Tuesday to select party nominees in nearly 50 state legislative races.
Here in Louisa County, the 2021 redistricting process reshaped the political landscape, drawing much of the county into the 59th House of Delegates District and 10th state Senate District and four precincts on its western end—Green Springs 1 and 2, Louisa 3 and Patrick Henry 1—into the 55th House District and 11th Senate District. Three of those districts will hold primaries on Tuesday. There will be a Republican primary in the 59th District and Democratic primaries in the 11th and 55th.
Candidates for state office filed pre-primary campaign finance reports with the Virginia Department of Elections last week that disclose donations and spending from April 1 to June 8 and provide an intriguing window into the races on Tuesday’s ballot. Some candidates for local and state offices who don’t face primaries on Tuesday also filed reports.
Here at Engage Louisa, we believe in transparency in local and state government, so we’re always interested in tracking who’s donating to the candidates running in local contests and state legislative districts that include Louisa. With that in mind, here’s a roundup of the latest campaign finance reports.
Beyond the pre-primary filings, state law requires candidates to disclose donations of $1,000 or more received within the 10 days prior to the election. So, the roundup also notes large pre-election donation that were received after the June 8 filing deadline.
Note: Not all the candidates who’ve filed to run for local office submitted reports, so those races/candidates aren’t included below. Candidates who don’t raise or spend any money may be exempt from regularly filing. To learn more about what’s on the ballot this November, click here.
House District 59
Voters will choose between three candidates for the Republican nomination in the new 59th House of Delegates District in Tuesday’s primary: Delegate Buddy Fowler, former Louisa GOP Chair Graven Craig and Henrico attorney Philip Strother.
The Republican-friendly district includes most of Louisa County, western Hanover and a chunk of northwestern Henrico. Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) won the 59th by 33 points in 2021 while Republican congressional candidates bested Democrats by about 21 points in last year’s midterm elections.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Rachel Levy in the November 7 general election.
Buddy Fowler (R): Fowler, who currently represents more than 40 percent of the district’s voters in his 55th District House seat, had his strongest fundraising period of the campaign, raising $88,340 from 100 donors. He began the filing period with $40,309, spent $53,757 and, as of June 8, had $74,891 cash on hand.
House Speaker Todd Gilbert’s campaign committee and Dominion Energy were Fowler’s top donors, chipping in $10,000 each. House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, the Virginia Beer Wholesalers Association and Betting on Virginia Jobs, a lobbying group that represents the gaming industry, contributed $5,000 apiece. Dominion is Fowler’s top donor this cycle, contributing $17,500 since June of last year. At publication time, Fowler had reported four large pre-election contributions, totaling $6,000. (report)
Graven Craig (R): Craig led the fundraising race for much of the campaign thanks, in part, to loans from his law firm, Craig Williams, but he fell behind Fowler in the latest filing period. Craig pulled in $68,667 from 48 contributions, aided by a $25,000 loan from his firm. He began April with $13,221, spent $52,143 and ended the period with $29,744 in the bank.
Craig’s top contribution came from Beachtree Group, a Northern Virginia consulting firm owned by his brother, Jamie Craig. The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Political Action Committee chipped in $6,000. (report)
Philip Strother (R): Strother has lagged behind Fowler and Craig in fundraising throughout the race and that trend continued over the last two months. Strother raised just $1,788 from 13 contributions. He began the fundraising period with $3,993, spent $3,313 and, as of June 8, had $2,468 in bank.
Midlothian engineer Richard Polo was Strother’s top contributor, chipping in $500. Radford investor Jessee Ring and Henrico resident Erick Ringberg gave $250 each. (report)
Rachel Levy (D): Levy hasn’t had to worry about a primary as she’s the lone Democrat in the race. But, in preparation for the fall, she’s been raising and spending money at a steady clip.
Levy raised $35,150 from 225 contributors. She started April with $21,325, spent $17,542 and ended the filing period with $38,933 cash on hand.
Democratic mega-donor Sonjia Smith, a Charlottesville attorney, was Levy’s top donor, contributing $5,000 while the United Brotherhood of Carpentry chipped in $2,500. (report)
House District 55
Two Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination in the new 55th House Districton Tuesday: former Charlottesville School Board Chair Amy Laufer and emergency department nurse Kellen Squire.
The Democrat-friendly district includes most of Albemarle County, a slice of western Louisa and northern Nelson and small sliver of Fluvanna. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) won the 55th by about 11 points in his failed bid for governor two years ago while Pastor Joshua Throneburg (D) outpaced Congressman Bob Good (R) by about 21 points during last year’s midterm elections.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Reid Wernig this fall.
Amy Laufer (D): As she’s done through much of the campaign, Laufer continued to post strong fundraising numbers down the final stretch. She raised $100,948 from 288 donors, spent $148,580 and ended the filing period with $89,632 cash on hand. Laufer started April with $137,264 in the bank.
Emily’s List, a political action committee that supports pro-choice women, was Laufer’s top donor, contributing $20,000. Crozet developer Barbara Fried chipped in $12,000. At publication time, Laufer had reported two large pre-election donations, totaling $2,500. (report)
Kellen Squire (D): While Squire couldn’t keep pace with Laufer’s haul, he posted solid fundraising numbers in his own right and drew that cash from far more contributors. Squire raised $61,738 in cash and in-kind contributions from 578 donors, spent $111,316 and, as of June 8, had $14,800 cash on hand. He began the filing period with $64,378 in the bank.
Samantha Litchford was Squire’s largest contributor, donating $9,000 worth of campaign consulting services. Charlottesville artist and activist Kay Ferguson was his top cash donor, chipping in $5,000. Ferguson gave $20,000 to Squire’s campaign last year. At publication time, Squire had reported two large pre-election donations, totaling $2,000. (report)
Reid Wernig (R): Wernig, an Albemarle County aerospace engineer, launched his candidacy in April. While he filed a campaign finance report, it showed no activity. (report)
Senate District 11
A pair of sitting state legislators well known to Charlottesville area voters are vying for the Democratic nomination in the 11th state Senate District: Senator Creigh Deeds and Delegate Sally Hudson. Deeds currently represents about 68 percent of the district’s voters in his 25th District Senate seat while Hudson represents nearly 40 percent of the district in her 57th District House seat.
The Democrat-friendly district includes the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle, Nelson and Amherst counties and a slice of western Louisa. McAuliffe won the 11th by about 18 points in 2021 while Democrats beat Republicans in last year’s midterm elections by about 25 points.
The primary has become increasingly expensive with both Deeds and Hudson pulling in more than a half million dollars in the last two months. The race has also attracted high voter interest, ranking as the top primary for turnout during the early voting period.
Tuesday’s winner will face Republican Philip Hamilton and independent J’riah Guerrero in the general election this fall.
Creigh Deeds (D): Deeds ramped up his already prolific fundraising in the run up to the primary, raising $516,322 in cash and in-kind contributions from 489 donors. He started April with $422,902, spent $727,771 and ended the filing period with $211,452 cash on hand.
Deeds’ Senate colleague, Scott Surovell, was his top donor, contributing $45,000 through his campaign committee. Virginia Realtors PAC made $33,136 in in-kind contributions, paying for direct mail in support of Deeds. Surovell’s campaign is Deeds’ largest donor, chipping in $55,000 since January. At publication time, Deeds had reported $35,789 in large pre-election donations from 20 donors. (report)
Sally Hudson (D): Hudson posted her strongest fundraising numbers of the campaign, outpacing Deeds by pulling in $599,149 in cash and in-kind gifts from 514 donors. She began the filing period with $189,383, spent $723,422 and, as of June 8, had $15,111 in the bank.
Charlottesville attorney and mega-donor Sonjia Smith was Hudson’s largest cash contributor, chipping in $100,000. The 314 Action Fund, a group that says it’s dedicated to electing scientists to state and federal office, made $187,792 in in-kind contributions, supporting Hudson via direct mail and canvassing. At publication time, Hudson had reported $53,300 in large pre-election donations with $51,300 coming from Smith. Smith is Hudson’s largest donor this cycle, contributing a total of $209,239 in cash and in-kind donations. (report)
Philip Hamilton (R): Hamilton raised just $770 from 11 donors. He began the filing period with $509, spent $1,017 and, as of June 8, had $262 in the bank. Afton retiree James Flood was Hamilton’s largest contributor, chipping in $200. (report)
J’riah Guerrero (I): Guerrero didn’t file a report.
Senate District 10
The 10th state Senate District won’t have any primary elections on Tuesday because the Republicans chose their nominee via a party-run convention and Democrats had only one candidate qualify for the ballot.
Delegate John McGuire easily beat three other contenders for the Republican nomination at a May 6 convention in Buckingham County, making him the overwhelming favorite to win the solidly conservative 10th this fall. Lake Anna resident and political newcomer Dan Tomlinson was named the Democratic nominee last month.
The district includes most of Louisa and western Hanover at its northern end and stretches south, encompassing all or part of eight other mostly rural localities. Youngkin won the district by 36 points in 2021 and Republican congressional candidates received 66 percent of the vote to Democrats’ 34 percent in November’s midterm elections.
John McGuire (R): McGuire continued to post solid fundraising numbers, raising $60,557 from 128 donors between April 1 and June 8. He started the filing period with $106,430, spent $156,611 and, as of June 8, had $10,376 cash on hand.
Investment Limited Management Inc., a Florida-based real estate development firm, was McGuire’s top donor, contributing $25,000. The Virginia Auto Dealers Association chipped in $10,000, his second largest cash gift. (report)
Dan Tomlinson (D): Tomlinson, who launched is campaign in mid-May, pulled in $2,375 from eight contributors including a $900 personal loan to his campaign. He spent $290 and, as of June 8, had $2,085 in the bank. The Powhatan County Democratic Committee was his top donor, gifting $1,000. (report)
Louisa County Sheriff
Incumbent Donnie Lowe claimed the Republican nomination for sheriff at a May 8 Mass Meeting hosted by the Louisa County Republican Committee. At publication time, Lowe doesn’t have an opponent in the November 7 general election.
Donnie Lowe (R): Lowe raised $6,870 from 27 contributors including a $2,000 personal loan to his campaign. He started April with $709, spent $6,086 and, as of June 8, had $1,492 cash on hand. Ronald Roberts, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office’s chief deputy, was Lowe’s top donor, giving $1,000. (report)
Lake Anna resident Tim Sansone, who lost his bid for the Republican nomination to Lowe, also filed a campaign finance report. He spent over $35,000 of his own money during April and May. According to his March 31 report, Sansone spent more than $45,000 in the first three months of the campaign, personally investing nearly $81,000 in the race. (report)
Board of Supervisors-Louisa District
Three men are vying for the Louisa District seat on the Board of Supervisors this fall: Republican Chris Colsey and Independents Manning Woodward and Greg Jones. Eric Purcell (I), who currently represents the district, announced in March that he wouldn’t seek re-election.
Chris Colsey (R): Colsey loaned his campaign $800, his only contribution. He spent $626 and, as of June 8, had $173 in the bank. (report)
Manning Woodward (I): Woodward contributed $5,000 to his campaign, the only donation he collected. He didn’t spend any money and ended the filing period with $5,000 cash on hand. (report)
Greg Jones (I): Jones raised $958 in cash and in-kind contributions. He spent $658 and ended the filing period with $300 in the bank. Jones contributed $608 of his own money to his campaign, his largest gift. (report)
Board of Supervisors-Cuckoo District
Only one candidate has filed to seek the Cuckoo District seat on the Board of Supervisors: Republican Chris McCotter. Willie Gentry (I), who has represented the district for the past two decades, announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t run for a sixth term.
Chris McCotter (R): McCotter raised $1,200 from April 1 to June 8. He began April with $200, didn’t spend any money and, as of June 8, had $1,400 in the bank. Glen Allen retiree Bruce McCotter was his top contributor, chipping in $1,000. (report
Voter Information
2023 Primary Elections: HD55 (D), HD59 (R), SD11 (D)
When: Election Day is Tuesday, June 20. Polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm
Where: Polling locations across Louisa County (Find your polling location here).
Voting By Mail: Voters who received an absentee ballot by mail can return their ballot via mail or drop it off in a secure drop box outside the County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa or at any polling place on Election Day. Ballots returned via mail must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than noon on the Friday following the election. Mail-in ballots that are dropped off must be received by 7 pm on Election Day.
Find your state Senate and House of Delegates districts here. (Enter your address then click on “New” when map/legislators appear).
Check out sample ballots for the June 20 primary here.
Read Engage Louisa’s primary preview here.
Virginia has open primaries. Affiliation with a political party is not required to vote.