[ad_1]
The money will bring the DNC’s contributions to the Democratic Party of Virginia this year to $1.5 million — 15 times more than it invested four years ago, the last time all 140 seats in the state Senate and House of Delegates were on the ballot.
Both chambers are up for grabs given Republicans’ slim lead in the House and Democrats’ narrow majority in the Senate, with new political maps and a host of open seats creating opportunities and uncertainty for both parties.
The outcome on Election Day is likely to determine whether Youngkin can enact a conservative agenda that includes corporate tax cuts and a 15-week ban on abortion (with some exceptions). The results also could feed or kill the presidential buzz that’s surrounded the former Carlyle Group executive since he flipped seemingly blue Virginia red nearly two years ago.
The state’s two Democratic senators, Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, have recently urged the White House to direct more DNC funding to the General Assembly contests, which will test the strength of both parties in a state that Youngkin narrowly won a year after Biden carried it by 10 points. Biden informed both senators Thursday night that the money was on its way.
“Time and time again, President Biden has made it abundantly clear that he is committed to not just electing Democrats at the top of the ticket, but down the entire ballot, and this investment is further proof,” DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a written statement to The Washington Post. “We are proud to make these unprecedented investments in Virginia and across the country that will not only help Democrats win in 2023, but will build on and expand the infrastructure we need to reelect President Biden and Vice President Harris next year.”
Dave Rexrode, chairman of Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia political action committee, called the contribution a sign that the “far left in Virginia is in full panic mode.”
“They are desperate, with no vision for the Commonwealth; only far left Virginia Democrats would look to D.C. and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for help,” he said in a text message to The Post. “Virginians are with Gov. Youngkin, they support his commonsense agenda that’s providing tax relief, empowering parents, and strengthening public safety.”
While Democratic candidates as a whole have outraised Republicans so far this cycle, Youngkin aims to make up the difference with his PAC. Fueled by the governor’s prolonged presidential tease, Youngkin’s haul has eclipsed even the sums amassed by fabled national Democratic fundraiser Terry McAuliffe, who was governor from 2014 to 2018 and lost a comeback bid to Youngkin in 2021.
Youngkin’s PAC raised $5.9 million from April through June 30, a record for a Virginia governor at that point in the term of office, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project. The money has kept flowing since then, including a $1 million donation in August from Thomas Peterffy, a major GOP donor who also gave $1 million to the PAC in April and has been touting Youngkin for the presidency.
Virginia has some of the nation’s most permissive campaign finance laws and sets no limits on individual or corporate contributions.
Having outraised Republicans for the last two cycles, Democrats could be the underdogs this time around, said Bob Holsworth, a veteran Richmond political analyst.
“I think it shows that they’re coming to the realization that the resources that Youngkin is bringing to this election are extraordinary,” he said, referring to the White House and DNC. “What Kaine and Warner did was sound the alarm that this is a very different situation.”
Warner told Politico last month that he and Kaine had pressed the White House for more DNC money for Virginia, saying, “We just need a sense of urgency.” In a written statement to The Post on Friday, Warner said the stakes are high for the state and the nation.
“As we’ve seen already this year in Wisconsin and Ohio, local elections can have national implications,” Warner said, referring to states where forces advocating abortion rights pulled off recent wins. “Virginia is the next clear battleground, with Republicans seeking total control of the state legislature so that they can roll back gun safety laws and enact a ban on abortion like other states in the South already have. I’m grateful that the president and the DNC recognize what’s at stake in this election, and will be working to make sure that every single Virginian knows what’s at stake, too.”
The DNC’s money will support the party’s coordinated campaign staffing and get-out-the-vote programs around the state. Separately, the DNC has organized teams of national volunteers for voter outreach, including 148,000 phone calls to voters.
“The Democratic National Committee’s significant investment in Virginia underscores that the stakes could not be higher this November,” Kaine said in a statement to The Post. “If Republicans win control of the General Assembly, they’ve pledged to restrict voting rights, pass an abortion ban, and roll back gun safety measures.”
Though he’s failed to get traction in national presidential polls, Youngkin remains on the radar of some major GOP donors who’ve soured on Donald Trump and the man once assumed to be the former president’s most formidable rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Youngkin hasn’t ruled out or in a run but has stoked 2024 speculation by refusing to commit to completing his term, releasing a campaign launch-style video linking himself to former president Ronald Reagan and courting out-of-state megadonors with no ties to Virginia. He is expected to make a decision after the November elections — after candidate filing deadlines in some key states, including Nevada on Oct. 16 and South Carolina on Oct. 31.
[ad_2]
Source link