N. Va. Incumbents Out-Raising Challengers in Key Assembly Races
Albo, Barker, Puller, Surovell outpace opponents in latest reporting period, Aug. 11-31 and have more cash-on-hand.
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Incumbents in several closely watched Virginia Assembly races in Fairfax County out-raised their challengers last month, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign spending. Here's a look at fund-raising for a few select races, plus the wide-open state's 30th District Senate race, with the general election just seven weeks away.
The amounts listed under each subheading are funds raised by the campaigns from Aug. 11-31, from reports submitted by Sept. 16 by the campaigns.
House of Delegates District 42 Race
- Republican incumbent Dave Albo: $9,930
- Democratic challenger Jack Dobbyn: $6,861
Republican Del. Dave Albo, the incumbent in the 42nd District, moved even further ahead of Democratic contender Jack Dobbyn in the money race to hang onto his seat, according to VPAP.
From Aug. 11-31, Albo raised $9,930 compared to challenger Dobbyn, who took in $6,861 during the same time period.
As of Aug. 31, Albo had $95,628 cash on hand, with the largest contribution of the 2011 election cycle, $15,000, coming from the Virginia Bankers Association of Glen Allen.
Challenger Mount Vernon resident Dobbyn, president of the Fairfax County Young Democrats, had a total of $4,923 on hand as of Aug. 31.
Dobbyn’s largest contributions are from family members, including: John R. Dobbyn Sr. ($7,000) and Dyan Dobbyn Donaldson (about $38,000). Jack Dobbyn is vice president of operations at Dyan Dobbyn & Associates, a consulting service for residential real estate companies, located in Alexandria.
House of Delegate District 44 Race
- Democratic incumbent Scott Surovell: $9,840
- Republican John Barsa: $7,107
- Independent Joseph Glean: $0
Incumbent Del. Scott Surovell, a Democrat, raised $9,840 from Aug. 11-31 and has $47,435 in cash on hand. Republican John Barsa has $7,848 cash on hand. Independent candidate Joseph Glean raised no money in the Aug. 11-31 window and had $10 cash on hand, according to VPAP.
Senate District 39 Race
- Democrat incumbent George Barker: $36,721
- Republican challenger Miller Baker: $28,811
George Barker’s first run for the 39th District Senate seat was a nail-biter, with Barker winning with 50.9 percent of the vote.
In the latest filing period, Barker raised $36,721.
Barker has $85,597 cash on hand as of Aug. 31. Barker’s largest contribution, $10,000, is from fellow Democrat, State Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, who represents the 35th District, which includes parts of Fairfax County and Alexandria.
Barker’s challenger, Clifton attorney M. Miller Baker, took in $28,831 in the latest reporting period from Aug. 11-31. Baker has $54,353 cash on hand as of Aug. 31. The industry sector contributing the most to Baker: Law; Baker is a lawyer and has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Senate District 36 Race
- Democrat incumbent Linda “Toddy” Puller: $25,231
- Republican challenger Jeffery Frederick: $14,614
State Sen. Linda “Toddy” Puller, the incumbent Democrat who represents the state’s 36th District, is facing challenger former Del. Jeff Frederick, who won a GOP primary last month. Puller’s cash-on-hand as of Aug. 31 was $143,271
Frederick, who won the GOP primary last month with 68.8 percent of the vote, reports $73,886 on hand as of Aug. 31.
Senate District 30 Race
- Democrat Adam Ebbin: $36,577
- Republican Tim McGhee: $275
District 30, up for grabs after the retirement of Democrat Patsy Ticer, will see Democrat Adam Ebbin and Republican Tim McGhee on the ballot.
Ebbin, who won a close three-way Democratic primary last month, garnering 38.8 percent of the vote, reported $6,038 cash on hand as of Aug. 31. He sent a note out to supporters on Monday looking to raise more funds for the race.
Republican Tim McGhee raised $275 during that same time. He reported $1,558 cash on hand as of Aug. 31.
T Ailshire
7:45 pm on Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Why on this planet of the gods does Ebbin want MORE money if he's outraised his challenger by that much, and few even know his challenger's name? Is he going to be another elected official who doesn't know the value of a dollar?
m.tracy
5:57 pm on Thursday, October 6, 2011
this article is pretty misleading because it gives only a partial picture of fundraising. why was this article limited to what was raised in one month? it would be far more useful to the voters for media to examine total fundraising for this election, not only statewide offices but local offices--because one might indeed wonder why all this money is needed and where it goes--- esp when there are no--or very weak—challengers for most offices in Mt. Vernon District.. Even more important is where the money comes from-- which might shock many people. (since 2008, Firefighters local has given more than $46,000 to Bulova, more than $20,000 to Supervisor Hyland:, and large amounts to most other Supervisors--; as well as substantial amounts to statewide candidates.) Total raised for Sharon Bulova as chairman of bd of Supervisors since 2008: $730,000 – ($563,000 since she became chair in 2009--and $235,000 this year alone); Supervisor Hyland :has raised $202,000 since 2008 (his opponent $14,000); Delegate Surovell, $202,000 (since he took office); his opponent 11,000 ; Senator Puller, $458,000 since 2008 ($179,000 this year); Puller’s opponent has raised $188,000 this year, but it appears he has spent much of that already. . Patch readers may want to check out VPAP on the web, including money in, money out, in-kind donations, etc., to get a better picture, but a more in-depth article by patch would save them the trouble.
Beth Lawton
7:38 pm on Thursday, October 6, 2011
Hi m.tracy:
This article was meant to be a "snapshot in time" of fund-raising efforts for the local candidates, just to give readers a sense of where each candidate was, financially, at the point we wrote this.
The numbers for this article came from VPAP.org—you're right that it's a really good resource. In the coming weeks, we'll be doing more on campaign finances, especially since more than one person has brought up the topic of firefighter contributions.
Thanks for reading!
Beth Lawton,
Regional Editor, Northern Virginia