When Does Gubernatorial Fundraising Start?

How early is too early to start thinking about the race for VA governor?

In November of 2023, Rep. Abigail Spanberger's (D-7) gubernatorial campaign reported its first transaction, kicking off the 2025 race for Governor. While two years out is an early start compared to most candidates, looking back at gubernatorial candidates since 2001 shows that some have begun fundraising as early as three years and nine months before election day, though an early start is no guarantee of victory.

Dig into VPAP’s interactive data visualization on when candidates begin fundraising Virginia governor.

Feel free to use the discussion prompts as your guide. There are versions for high school and middle school below, each including ten prompts. 

Students can easily make a copy of the editable template using the link below and submit their responses through your school’s learning management system, like Canvas or Schoology.

 

The high school questions encourage students to analyze the data, think critically about campaign strategies, and consider broader implications for the democratic process.
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The middle school questions are simpler and more concrete, focusing on direct observations from the graph and encouraging students to think about the implications without requiring advanced political knowledge.
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This is an interactive visual that was first published on vpap.org on July 30, 2024:
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8/19/2024
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