McDonnell Ahead in Money

(RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 10/27/2009)

Olympia Meola And Jeff E. Schapiro - Times-Dispatch Staff Writers

Republican Bob McDonnell enters the countdown to the gubernatorial election comfortably ahead in the latest poll and flush with cash, while Democrat R. Creigh Deeds is looking to a presidential visit today to boost his lagging campaign.

On the eve of President Barack Obama's appearance with Deeds at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, a poll by The Washington Post yesterday showed McDonnell leading by 11 percentage points -- 55 percent to 44 percent.

And McDonnell has nearly twice as much cash to spend in the closing days of the campaign as his Democratic rival.

The Post poll and fresh campaign-finance reports were signs of continuing momentum for Republicans, who are looking to take back the governorship after eight years and perhaps add down-ticket victories and gains in the House of Delegates.

The poll also suggested that Obama may be of little benefit to Deeds. Seven in 10 respondents said the president -- despite a 54 percent approval rating in Virginia, which he carried in the 2008 election -- will not sway their vote next Tuesday.

The Post polled 2,132 adults Thursday through Sunday, including 1,206 likely voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The latest fundraising reports, covering Oct. 1 through Oct. 21, show McDonnell with $1.832 million on hand, compared with Deeds' $937,772, according to a compilation from the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in Virginia politics.

Deeds raised nearly $3.1 million in the almost three-week reporting period, while McDonnell brought in slightly more than $4 million.

The Democratic National Committee pumped $1.7 million into Deeds' campaign coffers, while McDonnell took in more than $2 million in-kind, including $972,877 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than $1 million from the Republican Party of Virginia.

In-kind contributions are donations of services or goods, rather than money, as when a donor pays for a television ad.

In the contest for lieutenant governor, Republican incumbent Bill Bolling raised $496,033 and had $524,445 on hand as of Oct. 21. Democratic challenger Jody Wagner raised $463,856 during the period and had $237,365 on hand.

Democrat attorney general hopeful Stephen C. Shannon led his rival, raising $532,575 and having $955,436 cash on hand. Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli reported raising $532,113 with $153,863 cash on hand.

Since Oct. 21, statewide candidates have had to report donations greater than $5,000 within 24 hours. As of yesterday evening, McDonnell had brought in nearly $333,000 from those donors, according to VPAP. In the same period, Deeds raised $202,744 in contributions of $5,000 or more.

Those figures include donations reported by the candidates and reported by so-called 527 committees, named for the section of the federal tax code that governs fundraising for activities such as voter mobilization and issue advocacy.