shareUpdates from vpap.org
Va. Donors to Super PACs
VPAP tracks state residents who contribute to Super PACs. Here are the largest donations made by Virginians between September 1 and October 17:
American Crossroads
- $250,000 - Richard Baxter Gilliam (Keswick)
- $100,000 - W. Heywood Fralin (Roanoke)
- $100,000 - Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. (Henrico)
- $100,000 - Richard L. Sharp (Henrico)
- $40,000 - Ivor Massey, Jr. (Richmond)
- $25,000 - Anthony F. Markel (Manakin Sabot)
- $100,000 - Earl W. Stafford (Fairfax)
- $50,000 - Lawrence A. Heinze (Leesburg)
- $37,500 - Chris C. Langley (Lynchburg)
- $50,000 - Janice Brandt (Great Falls)
10/31/2012
Romney/Obama donors from Va.
Republican Mitt Romney widened his fundraising lead over Democrat Barack Obama among Virginians in the first 17 day of this month, according to data provided by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Romney raised $1.4 million in donations of $200 or more from individuals with a Virginia mailing address, compared to $965,000 for Obama, according to reports covering Oct 1-17.
The numbers do NOT reflect totals from donors who gave less than $200. (Nationwide, Obama holds a 3:1 advantage in unitemized donations. There is no way to know how much of this money was donated by Virginians.)
In 2012, Romney has out-raised Obama $10.1 million to $8.2 million in checks of $200 or more from Virginians. The Republican has outraised the President in every region of the state except in the Charlottesville area and parts of Virginia that are Inside the Beltway.
View a zip code MAP by region.
FUNDS RAISED BY REGION
$913,912
Coalfields/Southwest
$16,425
$138,776
I-95 Corridor
$108,411
$153,285
Inside the Beltway
$3,193,148
$3,104,160
Northern Virginia
$2,694,030
$3,525,796
Peninsula
$177,494
$269,447
Piedmont
$539,695
$342,896
Roanoke/New River
$188,434
$395,838
Shenandoah Valley
$115,699
$206,728
South Hampton Roads
$304,383
$469,772
Southside
$24,007
$69,398
10/30/2012
SBE sharply revises 2012 v. 2008 absentee rate
For the last two weeks, VPAP has reported on State Board of Elections numbers that indicated absentee voting was brisk this year, compared to 2008.
The SBE now says those numbers were in error. The SBE now says that, with eight days before the election, the pace of absentee voting in Virginia is actually 30% lower compared to the same point four years ago.
Here are the revised numbers of absentee ballots cast so far (as of this morning):
- 2008 - 350,000
- 2012 - 246,000
Closures related to Hurricane Sandy are expected to depress the numbers even further. Gov. McDonnell has authorized local registrars to extend hours before the deadline this Saturday to vote absentee.
Virginia does not allow no-excuse early voting. Those seeking to vote before Election Day must sign a sworn statement that they will be out of town on Election Day or meet one of 11 other qualifications.
In 2008, nearly 500,000 Virginians voted by absentee ballot, more than twice than had done so in 2004. The surge was partly the result warnings from state and local election officials to expect long lines at the polls. Voters in some localities decided to queue up in the before the election to cast absentee ballots.
The 2008 v. 2012 error in absentee voting rates was caused by a flaw in an SBE data query that resulted in an under count in 2008 absentee balloting. The lower 2008 number made this year's numbers look bigger by comparison, which VPAP first reported on October 12.
10/29/2012
Independent Expenditures
More than $8 million poured into Virginia this week, making the Allen-Kaine race the top magnet for outside groups seeking to tilt the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
The Campaign Finance Institute in Washington reported that Virginia has remained the outside-money king for at least three consecutive weeks.
The nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project is tracking every dollar reported. Here are the largest expenditures disclosed today:
George Allen - Oppose- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: $1,643,482 for a media buy.
- Majority PAC: $714,563 for a media buy.
- NEA Fund for Children and Public Education: $172,667 for production and time for a TV ad.
- National Republican Senatorial Committee: $1,472,414 for media.
- National Republican Senatorial Committee: $63,900 for production.
Spending by anti-Kaine groups accounts for more than half of the $40.4 million spent so far in Virginia.
VIEW WEB VERSION OF CHART ABOVE
10/26/2012
$10K Donations to PACs
Virginia's campaign finance laws require non-candidate political committees to report any single donation of $10,000 or more within three business days of receipt. Here are PACs that have reported large donations since October 13:
Democratic Party of Virginia- $76,000 - Philip Munger
- $20,000 - Democratic Party - Virginia Senate Caucus
- $10,000 - Bruce W. Bastian
Move Hampton Roads
- $25,000 - Norfolk Southern Corp
Opportunity Virginia PAC
- $10,000 - American Resort Development Association
- $10,000 - Micheal Edward Bennett
- $10,000 - WalMart Stores Inc.
- $10,000 - W. Edward Walter
Republican Party of Virginia
- $15,000 - Loupassi for Delegate - Manoli
View Details
10/25/2012
Independent Expenditures
VPAP has posted the latest independent expenditure reports that groups seeking to influence elections in Virginia have filed with the Federal Election Commission. Here are the largest expenditures reported yesterday:
George Allen - Oppose
- Majority PAC: $337,625 for a media buy.
- Independence Virginia PAC: $1,500,000 for broadcast and cable advertising running 10/24 through 10/30.
- Independence Virginia PAC: $134,322 for direct mail advertising.
U.S. SENATE - INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
LIST OF ALL INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
10/25/2012
Casino Operator Donates $1.5M to Pro-Allen PAC
A Las Vegas casino operator’s $1.5 million check earlier this month to a Super PAC seeking to elect Republican George Allen is the second-largest donation in Virginia political history.
Sheldon Adelson made the mega donation on October 12 to Independence Virginia, a Super PAC formed earlier this year to help Allen reclaim the U.S. Senate seat he lost in 2006, according to a filing today with the Federal Election Commission. Also today, the PAC reported that it bought $1.5 million in broadcast and TV ads blasting Allen’s Democratic opponent, Tim Kaine. Details here.
To date, outside groups like Independence Virginia have reported spending $36 million to influence the Senate race – 50 percent more than the $24 million the candidates themselves reported spending through the end of September. A list of all independent expenditures reported so far in Virginia can be found here.
Overall, pro-Allen groups have outspent their counterparts by more than $7.3 million. Adelson becomes the second million-dollar donor to Independence Virginia. Texas developer Bob Perry wrote four checks of $250,000 between July and September.
Adelson’s donation is second only to a $2 million check that Mark Warner wrote to his own campaign for Governor on October 24, 2001, according to campaign finance records that the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project has kept since 1997.
10/24/2012
