U.S. Democrats, Republicans spend heavily in Virginia ahead of governor
election
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[October 21, 2021]
By Jason Lange
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The fundraising arms
of the two major U.S. political parties poured money into Virginia last
month ahead of a Nov. 2 election for governor that will signal whether
Republicans have momentum in their bid to win control of the U.S.
Congress next year.
Campaign finance disclosures filed on Wednesday showed that the
Democratic National Committee (DNC), one of the main fundraising bodies
for President Joe Biden's party, gave $1.1 million to the Democratic
Party of Virginia.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) gave close to a half million
dollars to the Republican state party in Virginia during the same
period, a separate disclosure showed.
Biden won Virginia by 10 percentage points in the 2020 presidential
election. But this year's race between Republican businessman Glenn
Youngkin and former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, is
widely seen as a dead heat.
That has fueled Republican hopes - already bolstered by a recent drop in
Biden's approval ratings - that the party could triumph in November 2022
congressional elections. Democrats currently control both congressional
chambers by slim margins.
Virginia is also closely followed as a test of how Republicans will fare
when former President Donald Trump - who lost to Biden last year but is
still widely seen as the party's leader - is not on the ballot.
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U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a campaign event with
candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Hala Ayala, and
candidate for Governor Terry McAuliffe, at Lubber Run Park in
Arlington, Virginia, U.S., July 23, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
McAuliffe holds a marginal lead on Youngkin in
opinion polls, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average.
Current Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, cannot seek
re-election because of a state rule barring governors from serving
consecutive terms.
The DNC and RNC transferred smaller sums to their state parties last
month in New Jersey, which also will hold a gubernatorial election
on Nov. 2.
New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy has a large lead in
opinion polls over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli, a former
state legislator.
Wednesday's disclosures, filed with the Federal Election Commission,
showed the RNC raised $12.7 million in September, higher than the
DNC's haul of $11.4 million.
(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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