Top state Senate Democrats have piled up big campaign cash reserves for the fierce final sprint to November's legislative election which will determine whether Republicans take total control of policymaking in Virginia. And they'll need every cent of it to hold off a go-for-broke Republican effort aided by Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has about $3 million to draw from to achieve the GOP Senate he needs to enact his conservative agenda. Campaign finance statements filed by Thursday's State Board of Elections deadline show the six campaign committees with the most cash on hand as of Aug. 31 are all controlled by Democrats.
Democrats dominated the top 10 in cash on hand among Senate candidates in campaign finance reports filed just ahead of the Aug. 23 primary elections. But Republicans, with more candidates battling for nominations, had a slight edge in total money banked as of Aug. 10 according to candidate filings collected and posted by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project on Monday. Of the $7.3 million total reported by 47 Republicans, 28 Democrats and three independents, Republicans accounted for about $3.7 million, or 51 percent of the total, and Democrats held nearly $3.6 million, or 49 percent. Independents totaled less than $1,000.
Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw said he not only refused a trip to France to see a closed uranium mine, but he declined a helicopter ride to Southside Virginia to see what is thought to be the largest deposit of uranium in the United States. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) and Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford) both were offered all-expenses paid trips to France by Virginia Uranium, a company pushing lawmakers to lift a ban on uranium mining in the state. “I just prefer not to do that,’’ Saslaw said. Howell said he “pretty quickly told them no” because he is busy with his job and other things in his life and couldn’t afford the time to go overseas. “I didn’t see where it would do any good,’’ he said.