Trend in General Assembly Fundraising

Legislative candidates have raised a collective $56 million, a 43% increase from the last cycle where all 140 General Assembly seats were on the ballot. Sitting legislators continue to enjoy a huge advantage, but newcomers vying for open seats saw the biggest surge. Open seats are plentiful this year following a new redistricting process that left incumbents unprotected. Money raised by newcomers seeking open seats soared to $11.5 million from $3.1 million compared to the same 18-month period in 2019.

Money Raised by Legislative Candidate Type

Source: VPAP analysis of campaign finance disclosures filed with the Virginia Department of Elections. All dollar amounts for past cycles have been adjusted for inflation to reflect value in current dollars.

Methodology: This visual looks at the four most recent election cycles with all 140 General Assembly seats on the ballot. The numbers shown above cover an 18-month period starting on January 1 of the year before the election through through June 30 of the election year. The dollar amounts exclude transfers between committees controlled by the same candidate and money spent on special elections.