Kaine Tries to Help His Party Regain Control of Chamber
By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
RICHMOND, Sept. 18 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is on a week-long tour to raise money for Democratic candidates in the Nov. 6 elections as he tries to help the party pick up the four seats needed to regain control of the state Senate.
Kaine (D), who says a Democratic majority would help him advance his agenda, has cleared much of his public schedule this week so he can attend fundraisers and call candidates and donors.
Kaine also is gearing up for a major fundraiser next week in Pentagon City that is expected to raise $1 million for his political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward.
"We have 49 days to go, so he is going to be working hard between now and Election Day to make sure our candidates have the resources to win in November," said Charles Kelly, the director of Kaine's committee.
J. Scott Leake, a strategist for Senate Republicans, said money from political action committees is helping his party's candidates match Kaine's fundraising prowess.
"There will be hardly any candidates who lose because of a lack of money this year," Leake said. "We are still furiously raising money and will be able to scrape together what our candidates need."
Kaine's efforts come as candidates release their latest campaign finance reports. They show that most of the Democratic Senate candidates who are locked in competitive races are keeping pace with or beating GOP incumbents in the hunt for cash.
In two hotly contested Northern Virginia races, which could help determine who controls the Senate, the Democratic candidates raised more money than the GOP incumbents in July and August.
Democrat George L. Barker, who is challenging Sen. James K. "Jay" O'Brien Jr. (R-Fairfax), raised $150,000, compared with $118,000 for O'Brien. The incumbent has $109,000 in the bank, compared with $90,000 for Barker.
In the 34th District, which includes parts of Fairfax County, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R) raised $85,000 in July and August. Her Democratic opponent, J. Chapman Petersen, raised $120,000.
Devolites Davis has $500,000 in the bank, compared with $215,000 for Petersen, a former delegate.
In the race between Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax) and Democrat Janet S. Oleszek, the GOP has the money advantage.
Cuccinelli raised $205,000 in July and August; Oleszek collected $83,000. Cuccinelli also has three times as much cash on hand.
Cuccinelli is relying in part on financial help from national Republican groups. Last month, the Republican State Leadership Committee, a Washington-based organization dedicated to electing GOP majorities in legislatures around the country, donated $75,000 to his campaign.
But even as political action committees are helping Cuccinelli and others, Kaine could soon start pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into the races of individual Democratic candidates.
Kaine, who is targeting at least eight Republican-held Senate seats, is building on a trend started by former GOP governors George Allen and James S. Gilmore III, in which governors play an active role in legislative races.
In the 1990s, Gilmore and Allen aggressively raised money and campaigned for GOP candidates, which helped the party gain and keep control of both houses of the General Assembly.
Now, Democrats say, it's Kaine's turn to try to win the Senate and make inroads in the House of Delegates, where the Democrats need 11 seats to take control.
On Thursday, Kaine will be the host of a fundraiser for the Senate Democratic leadership, which will distribute the money to candidates in competitive races. Kaine will headline a fundraiser for Petersen on Sunday.
Tuesday's Moving Virginia Forward gala at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City is expected to draw 400 guests. Ticket prices range from $75 for one person to attend the "general reception" to $25,000 for four tickets to attend a cocktail party before the reception and dinner with Kaine.
"We are in good shape, and we are moving right ahead," said Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), who predicts that fundraising records will be shattered in some key races.
In some competitive Senate races outside of Northern Virginia, Democratic challengers have far out-raised GOP candidates.
In Newport News, Democrat John Miller raised $195,000 in July and August and had $125,000 on hand. Republican Tricia Stall, who defeated Sen. Martin E. Williams (R) in the primary, raised $42,000 and had $21,000 in the bank.
In the 27th District, which stretches from western Loudoun County to the upper Shenandoah Valley, Democrat Karen Schultz has $241,000 in the bank. Her GOP opponent, Jill Holtzman-Vogel, reported $151,000 on hand, including the $50,000 she lent to her campaign last month.
In Hampton Roads, Sen. Nick Rerras (R-Norfolk) appears to be struggling to keep pace with his Democratic challenger, Ralph Northam. Northam has $381,000 in the bank, compared with $140,000 for Rerras.
Mark J. Rozell, a political science professor at George Mason University, said Kaine is positioned to have a major impact on the election. "In a close campaign, he can make the difference and tip one or two seats to the Democrats," Rozell said.
For more information on Virginia politics go tohttp://blog.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.