NORFOLK, Va. — Democrats at the national level are making a big investment to support its Virginia candidates in the November 2023 elections as Gov. Glenn Youngkin shatters fundraising records to help Republicans retake the state legislature.
After 13News Now reached out Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) confirmed it is investing $1.2 million in the Democratic Party of Virginia "at President [Joe] Biden’s direction." The committee said its total investment this election cycle is $1.5 million.
The November 7 election is the first time since 2021 that all 100 seats of the Republican-held House of Delegates will be on the ballot, while the Democrat-held Senate will face voters for the first time since 2019.
According to the DNC, the funding will support campaign staffing and get-out-the-vote programming. The committee stated the funding is 15 times higher than its investment in Virginia's 2019 elections when Democrats took full control of the General Assembly.
“Time and time again, President Biden has made it abundantly clear that he is committed to not just electing Democrats at the top of the ticket, but down the entire ballot, and this investment is further proof," DNC Chair Jaime Harrison wrote in a statement to 13News Now.
He continued: "We are proud to make these unprecedented investments in Virginia and across the country that will not only help Democrats win in 2023, but will build on and expand the infrastructure we need to reelect President Biden and Vice President Harris next year.”
Youngkin broke fundraising records earlier this year
The investment comes after Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia political action committee reported raising $5.75 million in the second quarter of 2023, surpassing what any previous governor of the state raised over an entire year, according to the Associated Press (AP).
"The Governor has built and scaled an unprecedented campaign to hold the House and flip the Senate," Dave Rexrode, the PAC's chairman and a senior adviser to Youngkin, told AP last month. "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."
The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) reports the Spirit of Virginia PAC has raised nearly $8.5 million in total contributions this year. Republican megadonor Thomas Peterffy, who expressed interest in a Youngkin 2024 presidential campaign in a Fox News interview last month, has donated $2 million this year, VPAP data shows.
In response to the DNC's investment, Rexrode wrote in a statement that "the far left in Virginia is in full panic mode."
"They are desperate, with no vision for the Commonwealth; only far left Virginia Democrats would look to D.C. and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for help," Rexrode wrote. "Virginians are with Governor Youngkin, they support his commonsense agenda providing tax relief, empowering parents, and strengthening public safety."
Virginia's US senators say the DNC's Virginia investment is a good thing
Virginia's U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, praised the DNC's investment, sharing statements to highlight why they believe this year's elections are important. According to a recent report from Politico, the two senators urged the Biden White House to invest more money to support Democratic candidates in Virginia.
“As we’ve seen already this year in Wisconsin and Ohio, local elections can have national implications," Warner wrote in a statement to 13News Now.
"Virginia is the next clear battleground, with Republicans seeking total control of the state legislature so that they can roll back gun safety laws and enact a ban on abortion like other states in the south already have. I’m grateful that the president and the DNC recognize what’s at stake in this election, and will be working to make sure that every single Virginian knows what’s at stake, too.”
In Kaine's statement, he said the DNC's investment "underscores that the stakes could not be higher this November."
"If Republicans win control of the General Assembly, they've pledged to restrict voting rights, pass an abortion ban, and roll back gun safety measures," Kaine wrote to 13News Now. "I thank the Biden-Harris ticket for their support. Together, we're going to keep our Commonwealth blue."
A spokesperson for Kaine confirmed to 13News Now that he advocated for the DNC to invest further in the Virginia Democrats' campaign and Biden called him last week to share the news of the $1.2 million investment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
