RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee raised $5.75 million between April and June, a three-month fundraising haul the PAC said is more than any other previous Virginia governor raised in a whole year.
Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC will report the fundraising numbers for the second quarter of 2023 — first reported by The Associated Press — when state finance reports are due July 17, the PAC confirmed to 8News.
The Spirit of Virginia PAC reported raising more than $2.6 million in the first three months of the year, according to state records. With its latest haul, the PAC has brought in more than $8 million in the first half of the year.
With critical state legislative elections coming up in November, the contributions will help Youngkin fund Republican campaigns as the GOP seeks to take control of the Virginia General Assembly.
“When Governor Youngkin says he’s focused on Virginia, he means it. The Governor has built and scaled an unprecedented campaign to hold the House and flip the Senate,” Dave Rexrode, Youngkin’s senior advisor and the Spirit of Virginia PAC’s chairman, said in a statement.
The Virginia House Republican caucus and Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) will report raising a total of $3.2 million combined in the second quarter — a figure first reported by The Associated Press — spokesman Garren Shipley confirmed to 8News.
The Virginia House Democratic caucus reported raising $2.3 million for the second quarter, more at the same point than in 2021 when all 100 House of Delegates were on the ballot.
House Minority Leader Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), who gave more than $1 million to the caucus in the quarter, said the $2.3 million demonstrated House Democrats’ commitment to taking back the chamber after losing it in 2021.
“This contribution highlights exactly what I’ve been saying: the Democrats have a winning formula and the people are with us,” Del. Scott said in a July 3 statement. “People are sick of living under the unsuccessful government run by the Virginia GOP and their extreme MAGA agenda.”
Senate Democrats and Republicans have not yet shared how much each caucus has raised in the second quarter of 2023. Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke (Hampton) released a statement Thursday in response to Youngkin’s fundraising record.
“Governor Glenn Youngkin’s priorities have never been in check. His main goal is not policy, but to take control of the Senate while maintaining control of the House agenda, by raising as much money as possible,” Sen. Locke said.
Youngkin raised money from prominent GOP donors during the second quarter, including getting a $1 million check from Thomas Peterffy — a billionaire who recently paused his funding for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — and a $100,000 donation from casino mogul Steve Wynn.
Youngkin’s big fundraising haul this year has fueled ongoing speculation about the governor’s 2024 presidential ambitions, a potential move he has not ruled out when asked.
The political action committees for former Govs. Ralph Northam and Terry McAuliffe – Youngkin’s Democratic predecessors – raised millions while they were in office.
But the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), a nonpartisan organization that tracks election and campaign data, shows neither of their PACs raised more than $5 million in a year in their best fundraising years. Northam’s PAC, The Way Ahead, raised $2.6 million in 2018 and McAuliffe’s Common Good Virginia PAC brought in $4.7 million in 2015, according to VPAP.
“His commonsense approach to cutting taxes, backing the blue, empowering parents, and tackling our behavioral health crisis has united Virginians and he’s just getting started,” Rexrode said about Youngkin.
