Spanberger raises $14 million to Earle-Sears’ $5.2 million

Democrat Abigail Spanberger raised $14 million between July 1 and Aug. 31, nearly three times as much as Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, as the campaign for governor reaches the homestretch.

Earle-Sears raised $5.2 million in the period, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Spanberger had $12.2 million in cash as of Aug. 31 to $4.9 million for Earle-Sears, according to the latest campaign finance figures.

Spanberger’s big financial advantage is showing in advertising spending, according to Adimpact, which tracks campaign ad spending.

AdImpact

It reported Monday that Democrats have aired $17.3 million in ads to boost Spanberger with $8.1 million more scheduled while Republicans have aired $5.2 million for Earle-Sears with $80,000 more scheduled.

DGA Action, the Democratic Governors Association, donated $3 million to Spanberger during the reporting period after previously donating $2 million to her campaign.

Earle-Sears’ largest donations in the period were $500,000 from Robert Johnson, co-founder of BET and founder of RLJ Companies, and $100,000 from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC.

The Republican Governors Association, which donated $500,000 to Earle-Sears in the previous reporting period, reported no additional contributions to Earle-Sears’ campaign between July 1 and Aug. 31.

The RGA contributed a total of $10.7 million to Youngkin’s successful run for governor in 2021. While much of that funding came late in the contest, RGA had donated more than $4.4 million to Youngkin’s campaign through Aug. 31, 2021, according to VPAP.

In the campaign for lieutenant governor, Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D- Chesterfield, continues to outpace Republican John Reid, a former Richmond radio host, in fundraising.

Hashmi raised $1.39 million between July 1 and Aug. 31 and had $2.19 million on hand at the end of the reporting period.

Reid raised $374,000 during the reporting period and reported nearly $317,000 in cash on hand as of Aug. 31.

Hashmi’s largest donor in the period was the Clean Virginia Fund, which contributed $150,000.

Sonjia Smith, a Charlottesville political donor and philanthropist, gave Hashmi $50,000 on top of the $475,000 she previously had donated to the campaign. Smith is married to but donates independently from Michael Bills, the founder of Clean Virginia.

Reid’s largest donation in the period was $29,000 from Rally Virginia, which describes itself as the “home of the modern Republican woman.”

In the contest for attorney general, Democrat Jay Jones reported $4.04 million in contributions during the period to $3.76 million for Republican incumbent Jason Miyares.

Miyares has a big advantage in cash on hand, with nearly $7.1 million to Jones’ nearly $3.75 million through Aug. 31.

Jones’ largest donation in the period was $1.1 million from the Democratic Attorneys General Association, on top of the $1 million it had contributed to Jones in June.

Miyares received an additional $2 million in the reporting period from the Raga Action fund. That is on top of the $4.6 million the Republican Attorneys General Association already had contributed to his campaign.

Miyares received an additional $400,000 in the period from the Dominion Energy Political Action Committee. Dominion previously had donated $725,000 to Miyares since November.

The Earle-Sears campaign has said Johnson told the lieutenant governor, a Black immigrant from Jamaica, that he was giving her the $500,000 in response to a sign a protester directed at Earle-Sears on Aug. 21 outside her appearance at the Arlington County School Board.

Earle-Sears attended the meeting to criticize the Arlington school district’s transgender policy.

A woman at the transgender rights rally held aloft a sign with the words: “Hey Winsome: If trans can’t share your bathroom then Blacks can’t share my water fountain.”

Leaders of both parties, including Spanberger, denounced the sign as racist.

Spanberger already had a big financial advantage over Earle-Sears. The Democrat began the reporting period with $15.2 million on hand as of July 1, to $4.5 million for Earle-Sears.

https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/18/spanberger-raises-14-million-to-earle-sears-5-2-million/